Broken Mind
by bezawesome
Summary: Edward is being physically abused by his father, and noone, not even alphonse, knows about it. His life turns into a living Hell. EdXWin AU rated T for violence, language. This story is AMAZING!  sadly I didn't write it Enjoy!
1. Broken Mind

**First of all, I didn't write this! I'm putting it up for someone on . She's an awesome writer. XD**

**Anyways this is a fanfic containing abuse, language, violence, I'm sorry if it offends you. Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.**

**Enjoy!**

Broken Mind

A loud bell rang as students rushed into their classes. It was now approaching the end of lunch and everyone headed to their lockers, piling books into their arms. Edward staggered to his locker near the front of the school. He was in no rush to get to chemistry, he hated the class. Not only was the teacher a complete moron, but he knew the materials inside and out so he really didn't think he should even be in the class anyways. Although, it was better than taking psychology, he had taken the class once and dropped it within the first week.

He grabbed his lock, cursing as he turned the dial to the first number in his combination. He had the end of the day to look forward to but that was about it and even that didn't sound exciting to him. He finally got his lock open after the fourth try and took his text book out of his bag with his binder. Edward was never the most organized person, his note paper and photocopies were spilling out the side of his books and his text book looked as if someone had left it on the road for a few days.

He shut his locker and slowly headed towards the left side of the building. The class bell had already rung, but he didn't really care. He also didn't care that he hadn't done the homework assigned for the night before. He was already passing the class with an 85 and he hadn't done any work since the first day of the semester.

Even though it was practically summer, the halls were freezing, the fact they were completely bare didn't help that fact. The school was freezing in the summer and boiling in the winter. He made sure to pack a hoody every day just in case the air conditioning went out of control.

He walked into the class in the middle of a new lesson. Every student in the class was staring at him, including the teacher, but he didn't seem to notice. He took his seat at the back of the classroom and slouched back in his chair. He had never sat in something so uncomfortable in his entire life.

The teacher, Mr. Stevens was his name, turned back to the dry-erase board and continued with the lesson. He was teaching about balancing chemical equations, but it was so boring that he might as well be talking about sewing. The lesson dragged on for another hour until they finally had time to work on the practice questions as Mr. Stevens gave out the results of the last unit test. Each student was called up individually to collect their test. Edward was one of the last ones on purpose, he always handed out the tests from worst to best. Edward wasn't so sure that was completely fair, but perhaps it was motivation to get better marks to save the humiliation.

He got up as his name was called and shuffled his black converses on the floor as he approached the desk. From a distance he could already see a load of check marks on the first page. He took hold of the paper and shrugged at the 90 percent circled in the top corner. He was about to head back to his desk when the teacher called him back.

"Yeah?" Ed replied, his voice seeming to young for his age.

"I wanted to talk to you about that test." Mr. Stevens said, his grey hair falling over his eyes.

"What about it?" Ed shot, not eager to hear what he had to say.

"When ever I look over at you during a lesson, you're either doodling on your page or sleeping, yet when it comes test time, you seem to do perfectly fine and you don't even seem to do any of the homework I assign for you either."

"So? I don't feel like doing it." Edward replied with a shrug.

"My point is, you aren't getting the answers off someone else are you?"

"You mean cheating? How the hell would I get away with that?" Edward spat. "Can I not just be good at something?"

"Chemistry is one of the hardest classes in this school and you seem to be getting through without even struggling." the teacher said, tapping his pen against Edward's test.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not cheating." Edward glared turning his back and heading to his desk. He had to admit, he did lie a little. His father was really into chemistry and science, so Edward did get a bit of help from him.

After a few more dreadful minutes of Mr. Stevens staring at him, class had finally ended. He left the class at the same pace he entered, heading back to his locker. He threw his test in the bottom of his locker and shoved his books into his backpack. He wasn't even sure why he brought his work home anyways, it's not like he did any of it. He unzipped his auburn sweater and stuffed it into the large pocket of his back, knowing that outside would be way to hot for extra layers. Although he did make the mistake of wearing jeans, those would make his temperature rise too, but it really wasn't a mistake, he needed to wear them...

"Ed!" a young boy's voice called from halfway down the hall. Ed glanced over his shoulder, the young child bounding down the hallway with papers in his hand.

"Hey, Al." Edward said with a smile. The one thing that always made Edward happy was the sight of his little brother.

"I did it! I got 100!" Alphonse cheered, his brown hair bouncing as he bobbed up and down. He handed his older brother his quadratics test and waited to be applauded. "I guess I owe you for helping me study."

"It's no problem, Al. I guess I'm naturally talented with numbers." Edward smirked ruffling his brother's hair. Alphonse had already gotten all his books packed and was leaning against Edward's locker waiting for him to hurry up.

"You'll help me with the next one, right?" Al smiled watching Edward close his locker.

"Sure thing."

They headed to the front doors a few paces away. Their house wasn't to far away, but just close enough so that they didn't have to take a bus. There were a few people waiting by the doors for their rides to show up. One of them included one of Al's best friends, Dan Little. He leaned against the wall with one leg propped up behind the other as he looked down at his phone texting like a mad man. He glanced up after he replied to a final message.

"Al, perfect timing." Dan waved with a smile on his face.

Edward glanced him up and down. He never really saw who Al hung out with and this was one of the first people he saw. He was an odd looking boy. Although he did seem quite old despite his actual age. His style wasn't quite what you'd call average. He wore a black faux leather jacket over his auburn dress shirt and black pants extended down to his bright green shoes, which could honestly pass as soccer cleats. He also had a back and white checkered hat, more of a barret, that covered his dark brown hair, which stuck out the sides anyways because it was so long. If he took the hat off, he definitely would have looked like he just got out of bed. He was fairly clean cut other than that, with a thin face and bright blue eyes.

"Hey Dan." Alphonse waved jogging over to his friend.

"My mom's picking me up to go shopping for CD's, wanna come?" Dan asked sliding his phone into his pocket. Although Dan looked modern enough, he was an artsy type and loved nothing more than going around buying ancient records and albums from old groups, and Al didn't seem to mind that hobby either. He had collected quite a few Beatles and Doors records over the past few years.

"Sure." Al nodded. He looked over at Edward. "Can you tell dad I'm gonna be home a little later?"

Edward felt his stomach lurch and he felt a sudden urge to scream. He wanted Al to come home with him, but he also didn't want to sound like a baby, not when he was the older one. Sure, he was older by only a year, but still-

"Sure. I guess I could do that." Ed replied forcing a smile onto his face. He turned to the doors and quickly left before he felt obligated to take Al with him.

* * *

><p>The first chapter of the Fan Fic I wrote "Broken Mind"<br>Yes, it is Fullmetal Alchemist. Al and Ed are both human and live with their parents.. although things are not that simple...

I actually got all of the names of the characters from people and teachers I know, So yes, Dan is actually a real person along with Mr. Stevens and all that. I hope they don't mind.

**I did NOT write this ;)**

**It gets exciting (and sad) in the next chapter! review and I'll put it up sooner XD Trust me, you Want to read this! There's a reason it has so many reviews.**


	2. Conflict

**Hey! Once again I didn't write this. Thank you for the reviews! You each get a virtual cookie. Btw ,author, I caught a few typos and fixed them hope u dont mind XD**

**This contains violence and strong language. **

**Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once. Hiromu Arakawa owns Fullmetal Alchemist. **

Conflict

Edward brushed his blond bangs away from his face as the hot summer air blew past him. He knew it was only a matter of time before he got home and he couldn't be late or he'd never hear the end of it. Every day after school seemed to be the same. Every school night Al would go off with one of his friends and not be back home for a couple hours. Then Ed would have to walk home by himself, his mother would be gone at work and he would have to awkwardly greet his father who would be sitting in the living room with a beer in his hand. He felt grateful when it was finally the weekend because Alphonse would always stay home and do homework while his friends went out to parties. Lucky for Ed, Alphonse never enjoyed getting together with large groups and drinking until you couldn't remember anything.

He kicked at a pebble on the side walk as he started to walk home. He kept his head down, avoiding the passing cars on the highway and people peering out of their house windows. Edward's appearance was enough to make people feel uneasy. The fact that he grew his hair out made him look like a bad boy, but he did wear it back in a braid to avoid it getting in his face.

He jerked his head up when he ran into a hard figure. Just his luck, the one boy he didn't want to see. Brandon. The hugest guy in school. He was one of those guys you'd call a jock. He was on practically every one of the school teams, and was crazy jacked because he did outside sports as well. He was also more of a popular kid. Everyone in the school knew him and he went out to parties, drank, did drugs and god knows what else.

He glared at Edward as he turned away from his group. He may have only been in grade twelve, but he looked exactly like an adult. He may have had hair at one point but he made sure to keep it short so it was more handy for playing sports and it made him look even older. His large arm hung over a younger girl, perhaps in grade ten who seemed to be his girl friend. No matter what day it was, Ed always saw Brandon with a different girl. Definitely a player.

"Well guys, if it isn't the pipsqueak." Brandon roared with a laugh. The other jocks in the group began to laugh as they pulled a package of smokes from their bag.

Edward glared hard at them. If there was one thing he hated more than anything was being called short. Sure, he wasn't the tallest guy in the school, but he was quite short for his age, even Al was almost taller than him.

"I suggest you move, squirt. I don't wanna accidentally step on you because I can't see you." Brandon laughed again taking a cigarette from one of his buddies.

"Fuck you." Edward growled shoving Brandon in the chest and walking past him.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" He snapped grabbing Edward's shirt and shoving him against the chain linked fence. Evidently, Brandon loved nothing more than to pick on Ed. He didn't know why, but Brandon seemed to like everyone in the school except him.

"I said, what the hell did you say to me?"

"I didn't say anything, now if you don't mind, I need to get home." Edward glared, he showed no sign of fear against the predator.

"Why, so you can go and cry to your mommy?" he laughed. He looked over his shoulder at his friends nodding his head in satisfaction with the comment.

"No, I just don't really wanna be around you. So why don't you just take your bimbo girlfriend and go smoke pot over there behind that tr-"

BANG

Brandon's fist collided with Edward's face, sending him collapsing to the ground. He gave his side a hard kick when he was down, then grabbed his hair.

"I suggest you never talk to me like that again." he warned, shoving Ed's face into the ground. He got up and lead the way to his truck a few steps away in the parking lot, the rest of the group followed.

Edward slowly got up, using the fence to help support him. He grazed over his face with his fingers and could already feel a welt starting to form on his left cheek bone. his hands were cold against his face, which was now flushed. He knew he shouldn't have said any of that, especially to Brandon of all people, but since the beginning of the school year, Brandon never left him alone and it was really getting on his nerves. His black shirt was now stained with brown streaks of dirt from the sidewalk. Ed swore as he tried to clean if off, but his attempts failed. He hurried back to his route home and arrived about fifteen minutes later.

**I actually drew a picture of Ed being pushed against the chain link fence, but I'll add the link later. Review and I'll post the next chapter soon!**


	3. Break

**Hey! Again I'm not the author. I'm sure the author thanks you for the reviews! I like reading your reviews too. Reviews like "update soon" don't count, just talk about the story lol. **

**Warning: I think in most of the chapters there is language and violence.**

Break

Edward quietly opened the front door of his Victorian house. Their Chevy car was gone from the driveway, so that meant that his mother was still at work and wouldn't get back until later. He wanted to bolt into his room, but he knew he'd have to pass his father before he reached the staircase. The front door lead right into the living room where their father always sat when they came home from school. He did work, but only in the mornings so he took the evenings as an opportunity to relax, and this meant drinking...

Ed kicked his shoes off at the door and entered the living room. Sure enough, his dad was there. His long blond hair draping over the back of his arm chair and his large hands grasping a half empty beer bottle and four other empties accompanied him. He looked over his shoulder at the disturbance, his drooping eyes glancing at Edward. It was easy to see the distinct similarities between them, even with the age difference.

"You're home late." were his first words. They were cold and harsh.

"Sorry, I- had to get some extra help on something." Edward lied. He tried the best he could to hide the left side of his face.

"And what was that for?" he demanded.

"Just a project. I didn't really understand the format." Edward replied quickly. He hated talking to his father. He made him feel like an idiot. "I won't be late tomorrow, I'm sorry."

"Don't lie to me." His father shot getting up from his seat. Edward took a step back noticing the strength in his father's tone. He always got like this when he drank and it was inevitable what he'd do.

"I- I wasn't lying." Ed replied, his voice shaking with every word. He swallowed hard, following his father's every move. He felt helpless. His father knew when he was lying, he had done it so much in his life that he could tell the difference in his tone, even when he was drunk.

His father quickly grabbed his wrist not allowing him to make an escape out through the front door. Keeping a firm hold, he dragged him into the kitchen. He always went there when he was about to give a lecture. Edward fought to get out of his hold as his father forced him up against the counter, digging the edge into his back.

"Ow, dad, you're hurting me." Edward whimpered trying to pull his body back. He knew it was no use trying to talk any sense into him, but he thought maybe one day the message would get to him.

Von's other wrist snapped up and grabbed his son's jaw, keeping his head in place.

"Why were you late?" he demanded staring hard into Ed's golden eyes. He always made a small situation into something huge.

"It was only a few minutes, and I already said I was getting help with a project. Why does it even matter?"

Von let go of Edward's wrist and used that hand to strike him across the face. Edward coiled in on himself, putting his knees in front of his face.

"I ask the questions, and don't lie to me! Why were you late?" his voice boomed through the entire house. Ed was hoping that the neighbors would hear so they would come help him, but he knew all of them were oblivious. Ed glanced up from his position on the floor.

"I- I got into a fight after school."

Edward saw his father's hand reach for something on the counter. He grasped an empty beer bottle and threw it down at his son, shattering it into several shards which cascaded onto the floor. Edward made a slight cry as he covered his face from the glass.

"What about your brother, where is he?" Von hollered kneeling down at eye level with Edward. He grabbed both Edward's wrists and held them down from his face with one of his hands waiting for Ed to respond.

"He- he went out with- with one of his friends." Edward choked trying to prevent a sob from escaping his throat. The impact of the bottle was now registering with his flesh. It had cut him in a few places and was now bleeding.

His father seemed satisfied with the response and released Edward from his grasp, turning back into the living room, leaving the bloody glass shards all over the floor. Edward made sure his dad wouldn't be returning before running up the stairs and into his room.

**I hoped you liked it as much as I did. XD Give some critique and I'll add another chapter probably tomorrow.**


	4. Lie

**Cookies to those who reviewed! For those who might have missed it, I didn't write this. XD**

**Enjoy ^_^ Its long**

Lie

Edward quietly closed the door, trying to avoid another scene and sat down on his bed.  
>He looked down at his arms. They seemed to be the only place the bottle had cut him. The cuts weren't very big, but they were quite deep. He took a few tissues from the box next to his bed and dabbed them onto his wounds. He hated the fact Al wasn't home. This kind of stuff never happened when he was around. He didn't understand his father's motives, why would he only attack him? Was it because he was the one who always seemed to be home? Either way he was thankful that his father had left Alphonse out of this for all these years. Yes, he hated to admit it, but he had been getting abused for a few years now. Ever since he started high school, which coincidentally was when his father started drinking.<p>

A few years ago, their father's parents were killed in a car crash and a few days later, his older sister had committed suicide because of the loss. Edward could see why his father had resulted to drinking and why he needed someone to take his sorrow and stress out on. The fact that their mother worked late didn't help the situation either. Neither her nor Alphonse had any idea what was going on at the house while they weren't there. They had always asked Edward why he had bruises and scratches all over his arms and face, and he had always said that he got into a fight at school. It wasn't completely lying, but that wasn't the reason for the larger markings and he always made sure to keep the bruises on his legs, chest and stomach covered with clothing.

Edward had always wanted to tell his mother about what Von was doing to him, but what would she do? It's not like she'd believe him, he was never like that around her or Al. She'd probably talk to their father about it which would make him even more cross because of the fact he told someone, and that would just make the abuse worse. He had lived through it for this long, so he could live another year or so at least until he moved out.

He sighed as he removed the tissues from his arm and tossed them in the trash next to the table. Sitting next to him was his backpack. He was surprised his father hadn't used that instead of the beer bottle, after all it weighed a ton. He unzipped the large pocket of the bag and took out some of the work he had received. He tossed his chemistry aside, which he had no intention of completing, and took out his law text book. He didn't even know why he had taken the course, it wasn't like he enjoyed it. His father just started forcing him to try some new subjects to see what his interests were to peruse a career. Edward hated to admit it, but this subject was definitely not his strongest, that didn't mean he was completely awful at it, but he did get the occasional 60 percent every now and again.

Unfortunately Law was his first period class. When ever he got a test back, it always made the rest of his day feel like he should be living in a trash can. Overall, he definitely would rather live in a trash can than come home from school alone again only to have his father beat him for not getting a good mark. Von was far more strict about marks than anything, that seemed to be most of Edward's motivation to do well in school. Edward knew that he would be getting one of his summative test back tomorrow and he knew he hadn't done well. He hadn't even studied the night before or any of the nights before for that matter. He had been trying to get over a sprained ankle for those days after trying to run away from his father one night, and his attempt failed.

Edward had spent the next few hours staring at one word in his text book. He wasn't sure if it was because the word had some sort of relevance or that he was just bored and needed something to stare at to cleans his thoughts. He heard someone bounding up the stairs, being light on his feet. Alphonse peeped in around the door frame and glanced at his brother.

"Are you studying, or can I come in?" Alphonse asked with a worried expression on his face.

"No, I'm not studying." Edward smiled sitting up from his previous position on his stomach.

Edward and Alphonse didn't share a room, but they might as well. Alphonse spent more time in Ed's room than his own. Even at night, Alphonse would bring in a pillow and curl up beside his brother, which seemed to be a regular occurrence. Edward had almost flattened him a few times not knowing he had come in. It's not like Edward minded at all, he enjoyed the company, as stupid as it sounded, after all he was a 16 year old boy. He definitely wouldn't want that information being distributed to any ears of the school or he'd never live it down.

Alphonse tossed his bag off to the side and joined his brother on the bed looking down as his entwined fingers on his lap.

"You feeling' OK, Al?" Edward asked noticing his little brother's skeptical look.

"Is dad feeling OK?" Alphonse wondered out loud, his brown eyes meeting Edward's golden ones.

"What would make you think he wasn't?"

"He's been stumbling around a lot and had a serious look on his face when I came in the door. I thought maybe he was upset about work but then I walked into the kitchen and there was broken glass all over the place."

Edward stared. It was true that his father was upset, but he needed to think of some sort of lie. He couldn't tell him what had happened when he got home. He just figured that his dad had cleaned up the glass after the incident, but it seemed as though he had been so mad that he stumbled back to his chair and continued his usual routine.

"Well, you know how dad is sometimes. I mean, he does drink a little. Maybe something did happen at work and he just needed to relax more than usual." Edward paused thinking up his next words. "Don't worry about it. He probably just stumbled into the kitchen and knocked over one of his beer bottles. Did he look hurt at all?" he asked covering a scratch on his arm with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Not from the looks of it. But still, he didn't even talk to me when I came in. What about you? I mean, surely you had some sort of conversation."

Edward turned away. He had been lucky enough that his bedroom lights had been turned down, so Alphonse couldn't see what had happened to his left cheek after his encounter with Brandon.

"He just asked how school was. Nothing unusual or to important." Edward lied. He quickly thought up a new conversation topic. "How was your shopping expedition with Dan?" he knew Alphonse would never turn down that question. Even if he had only gone to a grave yard, he would spend an hour telling his brother about everything he did and how the trip was the best one he had never been on.

Alphonse hopped up and sprinted to his backpack and rummaged through the pockets pulling out three new CD's fully packaged. He ran back over to the bed and plopped them on Edward's lap. Alphonse waited to see what his brother thought.

"I thought you already had this one." Edward said picking up an album almost completely blank. It wasn't the most exciting looking cover, but I guess the cover doesn't affect the music.

"No way. You were thinking of the album I got last week. I guess they kinda look the same. But this one's better. I heard one of the songs on the radio and got addicted. I figured since one of their songs was good, that I'd check out the rest. Dan got a few more CD's too except he got a couple I already have. Then his mom drove up to an old record store and there were posters everywhere and piles or records and cassettes and CD's, it was like a complete heaven. Although it was hard to walk through because the shelves were so close together but that was partially the reason I found these CD's. Dan had accidentally knocked over a pile and while we were cleaning it up I look at one of them and noticed I had-"

And that's all it took for Alphonse to start into a rant about his day. One story lead to another which reminded him of another which was similar to one more and it seemed to go on forever. Edward didn't mind. He wasn't much of a talker himself, mostly because he really had nothing to say or his day wasn't exciting enough to consider bringing up. Alphonse always made his day sounds ten times more exhilarating than it actually was.

Edward had zones out for a moment to glance at the clock and wonder what he'd possibly whip up in a few minutes to eat before he started some work. Right about now Von would usually stagger to their parent's room and pass out for the rest of the night and their mother wouldn't get home until later, so Edward was usually left with doing to chores and preparing the meals. He enjoyed looking after his little brother, he was the closest person to him and also his best friend. Ed was interrupted from his thoughts when a CD was shoved in his face.

"What the heck is this?" Edward asked grabbing the CD.

"I just told you." Alphonse scowled. Edward glanced down at the new package in his hand. "You told me you liked that group so I got it for you."

Edward scanned the cover. Even in the dim light he could make out the words Three Days Grace written at the bottom. "Al, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but I thought you'd like it. And I felt bad for not having enough money to buy you something for your birthday last month."

Edward smiled and ruffled the top of his brother's head. "Thanks bud."

**Hehehe the calm before the storm :D**

**Ed: ...oh no..**

**Me: Review! **

**Ed: No! you're gonna kill me!**

**Me: *locks Ed in closet* Review! Click the button down there! Do it!**


	5. Fight

**I wanna let you know that the author of this story can see all of your reviews cuz she has a link to it. I don't personally know her, I read her amazing story on deviant ART!(which I also have an account on) XD but I can't tell you who it is or you would just read her story on deviantART, then posting it on here would be pointless. Anyways you reviewers are awesome!**

** I think Ed likes Chemistry idk. Yes, Winry comes eventually :) and I love Three Days Grace too. I noticed their song Home is perfect for this fic! you all should look it up. Enjoy the next chapter! **

Fight

Edward set the CD on the bed side table and stood up and headed downstairs. Alphonse followed his brother's steps and took a seat at the kitchen table while Edward quickly swept up the left over glass on the floor. From his position, it indeed looked like their father was no where to be seen in the living room. Definitely knocked out for the night.

"Want anything specific?" Ed asked keeping his back towards Alphonse  
>Damn, why does it have to be so bright?<p>

"Not really. I'm not all that hungry. KD maybe?"

Edward nodded as he started fishing through the cupboards above the counter tops. He hated the kitchen more than he liked to admit, most of all the sink...

"When does Mom get off work?" Alphonse asked doodling images on the wood surface of the table with his finger.

"Around nine I think. She works all this week except for Sunday." Edward sighed dreading the fact that today was only Wednesday.

"This sucks. She's never home." He looked up at Edward who was now facing him. He knew better than anyone that it sucked. "What happened to your eye?"

Edward swore under his breath and looked away, kneeling down to dig out a pot from one of the cupboards. How could he have been so careless?

"Ed?" Alphonse asked again, concern growing in his voice. "Please don't tell me you got into another fight." he got up and headed over to his brother who had now found a large pot and was starting to fill it up with water.

"If I told you I didn't. Would you believe me?" Ed asked, trying to make the sentence sound like a joke.

"Ed! You promised you wouldn't!" Alphonse whined. Ed could see the picks of tears growing at the sides of his little brother's eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt anymore."

"It's not like I try to pick fights with anyone. They just seem, to hunt me down."

"Then don't face them. Why don't you just turn away or tell someone or-"

"Trust me, Al. If it were that simple I would have done it a long time ago. Besides, it doesn't even bother me that much." Edward shrugged, but knew that response would upset his brother even more.

"What do you mean it's not that simple?" Alphonse whined, demanding answers.

"I've told someone once and look where it got me." Edward spat pointing to his eye for emphasis. "It's best to just let things play out. Those guys will do what ever they want regardless of what anyone tells them. And not even you, me or anyone else can change that." Ed frowned as his little brother who was not very impressed with the answer he just received. "Listen, Al, don't worry about it. He only clocked me in the eye today anyways. It could have been worse."

"That's what worries me, Ed. What if next time it's not just your eye? What if this gets way to out of hand and you get seriously hurt?" Alphonse asked chewing his bottom lip.

"We'll worry about it then." Edward spat.

"Why are you such a jerk! Why won't you just tell someone again or ask someone for help? Why do you always insist on doing everything on your own? There are other people around you, Ed!" Alphonse yelled, trying to hold back his emotions. "I don't understand why this is so hard! Don't you want this to stop?"

"I can live with it, alright? I don't see why you're so concerned if you're not even involved. I can take care of myself!" Edward hated raising his voice to his little brother, but that's what it took sometimes in order for them to stop arguing.

"No you can't! You keep saying that but its not true! If you really could, non of this would be happening! You never ask anyone for help, Ed, not even me. If something's happening I want to know! I wanna be able to help!"

"Well stop worrying about it! I don't need your help, I don't need anyone's help!"

"Stop talking like that! You do need help. You need someone to talk to! I know because I see you upset, I've seen you in ways other people haven't, when you start crying because you think I'm not looking, but I notice! I don't want to see you like that. If you don't tell someone then I will!"

"Don't even think about it." Edward spat in a low voice glaring at his brother. It sounded more like that threat than anything.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Alphonse challenged sounding like a preschool child. "This has been going on for way to long and I want it to stop. I don't see why I didn't do this a long time ago."

"Because you would have regretted it. Don't get involved, Al."

"No! I'm not gonna stand and watch from the sidelines anymore! I don't want that one day to repeat, I don't want to see that anymore! I don't wanna see-"

"Shut up!" Edward yelled slamming his fist on the counter. "Just Shut up, Al!"  
>Alphonse stumbled backwards, surprised at his brother's sudden outburst. Edward didn't make any eye contact with his brother as he shoved passed him and ran up to his room, slamming the door behind him.<p>

**Ooo I would hate to be yelled at by Ed. D: I loved this chapter, hope you did too. I'm sorry I'm not posting these sooner, the reason I'm not is because I'm waiting for more reviews. The more the faster! So review XD and i think at some point I'll just post 3 chaps at a time.**


	6. Snow in Summer

**Ch.6 of Broken Mind**

Snow in Summer

Edward lay in his room. He closed the curtains before throwing himself on his bed. He didn't want anyone to see him, he wanted to be shut out from the world and be left alone. He normally never would have reacted so strongly at Alphonse, but some topics were better left unspoken.

The light was still dimmed down, the way he had had it before he left the room. The streets were dark outside and his clock continued to tick on, reminding him of the valuable seconds of his life he had wasted alone. He laid down on his stomach and crossed his arms in front of him, his feet continuously kicking the headboard behind him. He had been in such a rush to get away from the conversation that he had completely forgotten whether or not he had left the stove on, but there was no way he was going back down there now, not after his little performance.

He let out a sigh before replaying the scene in his mind. Why didn't Alphonse keep his big trap shut? Did he not know that Edward didn't want to talk about it. I don't want that one day to repeat. Edward had known what he had meant. How could he not? The images were still fresh in his mind as if it had happened yesterday, even though the memory was at least half a year old by now.

It had started around the beginning of the first semester. Edward was just starting grade eleven and Alphonse had moved up to grade ten. Back when Alphonse was first starting his next year, he hadn't known any people very well or had very many close friends. He had hung out mostly with his brother, and Edward didn't seem to mind him hanging around. The season was just starting to change into fall and they had been walking home after school. Being his normal oblivious self, doting over his previous science test, Alphonse had accidentally ran into a large group of kids circling around a black pick up truck. As fate would have it, Brandon had been in that group, with yet another girl under his arm.

That simple move was all it took to light the fire. Brandon was the kind of person you never wanted to cross paths with, even on a good day. And the fact that he was now in grade twelve made him at the head of the high school ranks. Even before that day, Ed knew what a jerk Brandon could really be and he knew he wouldn't hesitate to hurt Alphonse in a second. He made the quick decision to step in the way. The fight had first begun with simple teasing and cursing back and forth until Edward swung the first punch. It must have been hard enough to made Brandon snap, because after that was mostly a blur.  
>Edward had always been very well toned and physically fit and Brandon had underestimated him, but Ed did lack the ability to determine where his opponent would strike. All Edward could remember was feeling continuous blows to his head and chest as he curled into a ball and Alphonse's screams of terror echoing in the background. Alphonse had tried to rush in, but someone had held him back. They were only lucky enough to still be around the school to have a teacher come out and split it up. The group had only received a week suspension, but that hadn't stopped them to this day.<p>

Alphonse had been permanently scared from the sight of watching his older brother be continuously beaten. He kept wanting to check on Edward who kept himself shut up in his room after the incident. He had peeked through his bedroom door on numerous occasions to see if Edward was alright. Every time Al saw him, he would be sitting on his bed shedding tears over the pain of a broken arm he was trying to recover from. Edward had never told their mother about what had happened since she was never around to know, but his father had come up to him alone to give him a talk about how he should smarten up and stop acting like a girl. Alphonse could hear the verbal end of it, but had never know the physical side.

Luckily, that had been the only fight Alphonse had witnessed during the years. Edward had told him that it stopped once the group returned back from their suspension, but that wasn't the case and now he had been found out.

Edward stayed put on his bed until he heard the creaking of his bedroom door. He shot his head up and glared at Alphonse who was now standing in the doorway, a broken expression on his face.

"Whaddya want?" Edward shot giving his brother the dirtiest glare he could muster. Alphonse entered the room closing the door behind him. It had been about a half an hour since their quarrel, but it still felt like it had happened only a few minute ago.

Alphonse said absolutely nothing. The room was awkwardly quiet and Edward continued his stare until Alphonse had comfortably positioned himself on Edward's bed. He shuffled his feet on the ground and played with his hands, definitely unsure of what to say.

"If you're just wasting time, then get out." Edward spat getting up off his bed and heading over to his desk.

"I'm not wasting time." Alphonse started, but stopped when Edward glared over his shoulder at him. It was intimidating since he never did that unless he was severely upset. Alphonse knew Edward never talked about his feelings unless he wanted to and that was definitely rare. Almost as rare as snow in the summer time.

"Then what the hell do you want? You have some nerve showing your face up here."

"I know. I- I just wanted to apologize." Alphonse was hoping Edward would accept, but he knew it would never be as easy as that. "I know I shouldn't have said some of the stuff I did down there, and I'm sorry." he made sure to keep his eyes down, afraid of the look his brother was giving him.

"Then why the hell did you say it!" Edward shot, forgetting his initial reason for going over to his desk. "You clearly know how I feel about that! Did you even consider what would happen?"

"I know it was wrong of me, OK? I was just upset. I really wanted to help and you keep shutting me out of everything. I mean, you don't even tell mom and dad what's going on. Are you just expecting this to go away?" Alphonse asked, He wasn't trying to challenge Edward but rather, get the truth.

"That's exactly what I told you before, so stop pestering me about it. I thought I made it pretty clear downstairs that I didn't want to talk about it." Edward let out a sigh before turning to face his brother. "Just do me a favour, if you're willing to help."

Alphonse perked up waiting for his brother's response. Although he knew he'd probably get disappointed with the reply.

"Just... don't tell mom and dad anything." Edward kept his eyes fixed on the ground, ashamed of the request he had asked of his brother. "I told dad about me getting into another fight today after school and he... wasn't to happy about it."

Alphonse frowned, pouting his bottom lip, thinking of a perfect way to make Edward tell him everything.

"I'll keep everything away from mom and dad only if you tell me instead." Alphonse stared hard at his brother, showing the strength and determination in his eyes, letting Edward know he had no intention of backing down.

"Al, why can't you understand that I don't want to talk about it?"

"I know you do, Ed. I know you need someone to be there for you. If you don't want mom and dad there, the only other option is me." Alphonse released his strength for a few seconds and let the tears flood into his eyes. "Please, Ed. I'm not asking a lot. I'm just scared."

Edward sighed walking up to his brother and kneeling down in front if him, using the palm of his hand to wipe away the tracks of tears down his brother's face.

"There's no need to get all emotional about it, Al." Edward felt as though someone was twisting his heart into their fists. He hated to see his little brother cry. He gave one last sigh before resting a hand on his shoulder and looking into his water soaked eyes. "If you promise not to cry anymore, I'll let you be the person I go to. Deal?"

Alphonse let a small smile spread on his lips. "Really?" he asked so quietly it sounded like a whisper. Edward nodded with a slight smile.

"But you have to promise me, OK? I can't have you going around-"

Alphonse quickly jumped off the bed and wrapped his arms around his brother's neck, burying his face into the neck of his brother's shirt. Ed quickly flinched in response to the swift action, but calmed down as he wrapped his arms around his brother's back. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he had been comforted with a hug. The feel of his brother's warmth and gentle touch sent a chill in his spin and tears down his face as he pulled him closer.

It may be extremely rare, but it can snow in the summer.

**I think it can snow in the summer in Alaska haha. ^_^**

**Aww that was cute. 3 Reviews and I'll update tomorrow (if I remember XD ) **

**The theme song is Home by Three Days Grace, I think it fits.**


	7. Past

**Ch.7 of Broken Mind**

**Wow a lot of reviews! And Nah its not slow moving, its just drama packed haha ^_^ **

Past

It was early the next morning when Edward had been woken up by Alphonse who had accidentally kicked him in his sleep. He had completely forgotten what time he had gone to bed or when Alphonse had managed to sneak in again. He had managed to pry himself out of bed to get ready for school. He always woke up before Alphonse, it was usually because Alphonse had had a busy day, and he was also naturally like a cat. Edward had grabbed a quick shower, got dressed and grabbed his books before heading out. Alphonse always woke up fifteen minutes after Edward and usually walked with his friends who came by later and Ed had no intention of sticking around, especially since he didn't want to spend more time in his house than he had to.

School classes started at eight fifteen and Edward had actually been on time for once. It shocked the teacher more than himself. All the students sat quietly after the morning announcements. Edward had zoned out during all of them. He heard the occasional word of new sports teams starting and school dances to look forward to. Edward never cared for any of those. He not only didn't care, but he was also not allowed to go out for any after school activities. And that was his father's rule.

The law teacher, Mr. Wood, had stood up in silence has he began to hand out the last unit tests. Edward hated when teachers handed out tests at the beginning of the period. If it was an awful mark, you would have the rest of the day to think about how bad it was and how you had messed up. But on the other hand, if it was a decent mark, it would make the rest of you day ten times better. Unfortunately for Edward, this was not the case. The teacher was quiet as he laid Edward's test face down on his desk. For a teacher who usually faced them upwards, this was not a good sign.

Edward slid his hand over the test and brought the corner to the edge of his desk, trying to sneak a peek at the mark circled in the corner. He looked around, making sure no one was watching him, then flicked up the corner revealing a 32% written in red pen like blood. Edward couldn't believe it. He hoped that if he turned the paper back face down and looked at it again that the mark would some how change, but it didn't. This was the worst mark he had gotten in this class, the worst mark he had gotten throughout high school.

He didn't want to look upset in the middle of class, knowing what would happen at home that night, so he kept his face hidden, playing with a loose threat on his black hoody. He swore to himself, low enough so none of the students or Mr. Wood would hear him. For the rest of the class, he didn't even pay attention to the new lesson. He scribbled a few things down on his paper and ripped at the corner of his test, thinking of some way to change the mark from the 32 to an 82. Even if he did change the 3 to an 8, the number of x marks on the page would give him away. He also thought of going up to Mr. Wood after class and begging him to change the mark, but that would only raise suspicions.

He settled with nothing as class ended and he headed back to his locker, burying the test in the bottom of his bag. Von had always forced Edward to tell him when he had a test and what he had received when he got it back. Edward had lied once when he had gotten a physics test back. He had received a 65% and Edward told him he had gotten an 84. All went well until Von had gone through his bag and found the test. There was no way he could keep anything from him anymore. His father always managed to find out everything and it always ended with something physical.

There was no doubt that Edward had thought about running away because of this, and he had actually tried once after school, but was caught when his father phoned the police when Ed hadn't returned home from school after an hour. It had been a Friday so his mother had worked late and Alphonse had stayed over at a friends for the night. Ed thought his father would be so drunk that evening to not even notice he was gone or even dial the phone, but he had underestimated him. Edward had been returned home that night by the police. Edward wanted to scream, tell the cops everything that had happened between him and his father, and beg them to not leave him alone, but one thing kept him from doing that. Fear. Edward had always been to scared to tell anyone what had happened.

After a couple minute talk between his father and the police, Edward had a short opportunity to run into his room. He had heard the front door close and his father barge up the stairs. He had tried to hide behind his bed, like a small child playing hide and seek, but was found in a matter of seconds. He had been dragged down the stairs by his hair and slapped around for a few minutes until his father had kept a firm grip on his arms as he started to run the water in the kitchen sink, filling it up to the rim.

Edward had been screaming and thrashing, pleading for his father to let him go as tears spilled down his face. Von had ignored his son as he pressed Edward into the counter before the sink and forced his head into the water. He had tried to fight his father, but he had always been stronger than him. If Von had held Edward under for any longer, he would have easily been killed. Edward owed his life to the man who had knocked on the door and ended the madness. It had been one of his father's drinking buddies who he had invited over earlier. Von gave Ed a last hit as he threw him towards the stairs to go up to his room, warning him to never pull a stupid stunt like that again. Edward had kept this from Alphonse and his mother ever since the incident had occurred a few months ago, and the memory never left his mind.

…**.I'd be too scared to tell anyone too. DD: **

**Ok so I read fanfics on my iPod a lot, and I got obsessed with Broken Mind after I read the second chapter. I was about to go on a road trip without internet (OH NO!) so I got my iPod and started taking pictures of my screen like crazy. I would scroll down the story, take a pic, repeat (I was in a hurry :P). So I had like 300 pictures of this story… Man, that took forever to delete later. LOL XD Anyways..**

**I might add another chapter today! :) **


	8. Fake

**This is not my story ;)**

Ch.8 broken mind

Fake

Edward let out a final sigh as he grabbed another binder and headed to his next class. His second period was engineering, it wasn't his favourite class in the world, but he enjoyed it way better than law just because he was actually passing with a 90%. The class was a cinch too.

He placed his books on the edge of his desk and took his seat. In every single one of his classes, Ed sat in the back. Being in the front was to close to the teacher and the middle was where all the preps sat, who would just make fun of him anyways, so the back was really his only option. He was about to pass out from the boredom in his teacher's voice as he talked about the new assignment they had to do.

"We'll also have someone new joining the class." Mr. Cross continued, playing with folders of papers on his desk, probably photocopies of the project.

Oh great, someone else to stare at me.

"She's going to be our peer tutor for this semester and she's highly skilled in her work. She'll be happy to help you with any questions or if you're having difficulty with anything." Mr. Cross said introducing the young woman who was standing beside him. Edward hadn't even noticed there had been anyone else in the class, so was taken aback when he saw the stranger look around the class and smile.

Ed had to admit, she was quite pretty. Her long blond hair tired up and her blue eyes shinning as they passed over the class room.

How the hell is this girl good at engineering?

She young girl took the sheets from Mr. Cross's desk and started to pass them out. She made her way around the class, setting them on all the desks. She was trying to get associated with ever student, asking questions and introducing herself as the class began to start their new project.

Edward took a seat beside one of the machines. He didn't even know what its name was. He had been told once, but it never really registered, and he also didn't really care. He scanned over the sheet he had received. It was supposed to be a "fun" project, having to build an electric powered car and race the others created by your peers. To Ed, it didn't sound fun at all.

"Having trouble with anything?" A voice called down to him. Ed glanced up, meeting a smiling face with bright blue eyes.

"Uh, no, not really." Edward replied, he quickly turned away as he felt all the blood rush to his face. Why had he never seen this girl until now? Ed froze as he noticed she was taking a seat beside him.

"I'm just trying to go around to learn something about everyone. I've hardly ever seen anyone in this class around the halls. I'm Winry by the way." She smiled waiting for Edward to introduce himself.

"I- I'm Ed." He stuttered, keeping his eyes locked on his hands. He knew if he looked at her, he'd turn beet red.

"Ed, you mean like Edward? That's so cool. I've never met anyone with that name before." she smiled. She seemed way to happy about it. It was just a name after all.

"So I guess you like engineering." She said taking a look at the sheet she had handed out to him. She had never actually read it over, after all, it wasn't like she was doing the project.

"Not really. I just didn't know what else to take. I heard it was pretty easy."

"That's true. I guess it is one of the easier classes to take. I had Mr. Maxwell teach me in grade ten and he was such an easy marker. If you want a class to boost your average, this is the class to take."

Edward didn't respond. He couldn't actually believe someone was talking to him, let alone a girl. When ever a girl saw him, they'd either avoid eye contact or just head the other way. Well, her job was to help all students, she probably wouldn't get a good mark if she helped everyone but him. She probably just wanted to make a fool out of him.

"You don't have to be here if you don't want to." Edward shot. Mad at himself that he had almost fallen for her little game.

Winry gave him an odd look. "What do you mean?" she asked, offended that he had said that to her, and in such a cold tone.

"You don't have to talk to me. In fact, I'd like it better if you didn't." Edward shot again, keeping his eyes away from her. Looking as pretty as she did, she could talk to anyone she wanted, so why would she talk to him of all people.

"I was just trying to help. Sorry. " She said getting up and heading to the next student.

Why was she toying with him like that? She was definitely one of those preppy girls who knew they were good looking and took advantage of it. Talking like she's all high and mighty, acting all friendly, when she was actually making fun of him. Ed knew the way teenage girl's thought. He missed the way it had been when he was little. Everyone got along with each other, despite your looks or your sex. Edward had had quite a few friends who were indeed girls and as they got older they began to separate simply because he was a boy. Unless the girl was actually dating a boy, you would hardly ever see the opposite gender together.

Edward was thankful when first period had ended. He couldn't stand being in the same room as Winry. He hated the fact he found her attractive or how he would spend several minutes of class looking over at her and hoping she would come and help him. But he didn't want to like her. He knew the type of girl she was. She would talk to him as if she was flirting, get his hopes up then shoot him down. He had fallen for that kind of thing once and he wasn't going to let it happen again.

He arrived at his locker a few minutes after the bell had rung. The next class was gym. Ed had always enjoyed that class, which had been why he had taken it every year. The only thing that wasn't so enjoyable to were the change rooms. It's wasn't as though Edward was awkward in any way around other boys, but he always did get a few odd glances when ever someone noticed his bruising. After a few of the boys noticed, Edward had always made a point to change in the bathroom stalls in the room rather than out in the open. Other than that, Edward enjoyed the class and was passing with a 97.

Edward slung his backpack over his shoulder as he gathered his gym clothing. He went frozen stiff when he heard a familiar voice come up from behind him.

"Ed?" the voice called. It definitely belonged to a girl. "Did I do something wrong?"

Edward didn't reply right away. He knew for a fact the voice belonged to Winry and she knew damn well what she had done wrong. He didn't need to explain it.

"Just don't talk to me, OK?" Edward spat keeping his eyes averted from her gaze.

"I don't understand. I just met you today and you're acting like I made fun of you of something. I don't think I've done anything wrong and I've definitely never done anything to hurt you in any way." Winry explained, leaning against the locker next to Edward's.

"Yeah, that's what you think." Edward snorted closing his locker and turning to face her. "Just say away from me. I'm not asking a lot."

"Can you at least tell me what I did?" Winry started. "If you do, I'll promise to not bother you."

"I don't need to explain it." Edward replied coldly as he started heading for the gym a few paces away from his locker at the front of the school.

"Yes you do, because clearly I don't understand what I did. You seemed like a cool guy, and now I'm having second thoughts." Winry argued not leaving his side as Edward left his locker.

"Yeah right. Someone like you wouldn't find someone like me cool. Is this part of you little act too?"

"What do you mean by act?" Winry spat, getting furious with the boy's responses. "I don't know what's going on in that head of yours but you'd better knock it off."

"Just forget it. All I want is that you leave me alone and stop talking to me as if you actually care."

Those were Edward's last words as he shoved passed the young teen, still in shock from the past sentence, and entered the gym where students were already warming up. Edward regretted saying those kinds of things to Winry, but she needed to knock it off. There was no way he was falling for her "perfect, innocent, flirting act". It was better for him to turn her in now before things got out of hand.

The rest of the day had passed by a lot more slowly than usual. It might have been the fact that Ed had kept looking up at the clock every few minutes. Time always seems to go by slower when you watch it. The whole gym period was spent playing one on one badminton and doing laps around the school. Lunch had been boring as usual. He spent most of the time in the library pulling out any book he could find. Edward didn't seem like much of a bookworm but he had probably read more books than all of the students in the school combined. Alphonse had dropped in for a few minutes to check out a few more novels then headed back into the halls with Dan. Chemistry was a drag. It had just been a whole lot of practice sheets on how to balance equations, which Edward found easy enough to begin with, so had spent the whole class doodling in his notes.

It was a slight relief when school had ended. The verbal torture had ended and Edward could feel a headache coming on. He headed back to his locker and started packing his books, with no rush to get home. He had seen Alphonse leave the school a few minutes earlier with Dan and another one of his friends, another tall, slender boy. Of all days, why did Alphonse have to go out today? Ed didn't even have the chance to persuade Alphonse to come home, he could only watch as his brother disappeared into the afternoon rush.

**If u don't review I'll just assume no one is reading it and won't really update it that fast. Really.**


	9. Living Hell

**Wow! I'm So Sorry guys I was away at camp for 2 days! I'm pretty sure Winry's the same age as Ed. I can't tell you who writes these. Its someone on Deviant art who said I could post it on fanfiction. I will tell you who the author is, probably, when I'm done posting all the chapters. I'm sorry if I missed a question! Just ask again or I'll go back and recheck the reviews.**

**XD I reread this chapter so many times. Enjoy! **

**Ch. 9 broken mind **

Living Hell

After school, Edward began his walk home. Luckily, Brandon and his usual gang weren't there, probably gone off to buy cigarettes. That was one less thing he had to worry about. He was hoping that his mother would be let off early from work and would be there to greet him instead of Von, but that kind of thing only happened on the weekends and was rare at that.

He climbed the front stairs of his home and looked over at the driveway, the Chevy still gone, leaving it empty. He slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. The loud creaking was enough to let the whole town know he had arrived home. He father was sitting in his usual chair, accompanied bottles and an unimpressed expression on his face. Edward had manged to make it the dinning room before he was spoken to.

"You told me a few days ago you would be getting your law test back today." Von said in a low ton.

He really doesn't waste any time does he?

Edward froze. Could he get away with lying? Perhaps tell him that the teacher forgot, or that he forgot the test in his locker and couldn't remember what mark he got? He looked at the ground, placing his bag on the dinning room table in the middle of the space.

"Uh- well- I-I did, but-"

"Where is it?" He father demanded getting up from his seat.

"C-can I go up to my room?" Edward quivered. He knew his father would never allow him.

"No." His father shot grabbing the backpack from the table. He unzipped the main pocket and rummaged though the bag. Edward took a few steps back towards the kitchen, knowing that the stairs were only a few paces past the doorway. There was no doubt that Edward was faster than his father, but in a house, where did he have to run?

Edward was desperately hoping that his father was to drunk to tell which test was which an see one of his old fitness tests and be satisfied. His father pulled out a few sheets of paper, the first was the last chemistry test he had received the previous day and nodded, satisfied with the mark, then flipped the paper back into the bag to come to the second pack of sheets, revealing the new law test he gotten back that morning. There was a long silence as his father absorbed the value of the mark. Von whipped around, facing Edward who was about to make a mad dash for his room, until his father grabbed his wrists. Edward flinched.

"What's the meaning of this?" Von hollered, his voice echoing through the house.

"Let go of me!" Edward shrieked, trying to pull away from the challenger. His father was looking him straight in the eyes, not even blinking. His hard golden eyes met Edward's soft ones.

"No! Tell me why you didn't get a good grade! How much time did you have to study!" Von yelled again throwing the test on the ground to have both of his hands free.

"I hate the class, OK! I don't see why you made me take it! I could be getting the marks you want me to in another class, but you won't let me switch out, and I hate it!"

"I don't care what you can get in another class." Von spat sharply. "I want you to succeed in this one!"

"Well that's not gonna happen! Apparently you're to dense to see that!" Edward shot, tears building up in his eyes. He hated facing off against his father. Not only because he was abusive, but the tone in his voice and fire in his eyes were enough to make you quiver away like a hurt dog.

Von quickly back handed Edward across the cheek, keeping his eyes locked with his son's. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again!"

"Well it's true! If you want me to do well in school than don't put me in classes I don't care about!" Edward shot, showing no sign of fear against his father, despite the tracks of water streaming down his face.

"You're going to do well whether you like it or not! I don't want to see anymore tests like this one or you'll wish I hadn't."

"I don't care! There's nothing more you can do to me that you haven't already done!" Edward said, a determined look on his face. He was thrown off guard when Von shoved him against the wall, colliding his fist with his son's shoulder.

"Don't tell me what I'm capable of, Edward Elric!" his father's voice boomed through his ears, sending chills up and down his spine. He glanced down at his son. "You're a pathetic worm. I'm ashamed to have you as my son."

"Good! and I'm ashamed to have you as my father!"

Von eyes were red with rage. He grabbed Edward's hair and began to drag him into the kitchen, shoving him on the floor, then up against the fridge. "Do you want to have another trip into the sink?" Von threatened as he reached behind him and turned on the tap.

Edward tried to back away as he sat on the floor with his father's hand still wrapped around both his wrists. He kept pushing off, but his feet kept slipping on the tiles. Von kept pulling him closer and closer to the sink with every second. Edward wasn't sure if it was just a threat or if he actually meant to attempt it again. All of Edward's strength and determination left his side and he fell to his father's mercy.

"No! Let go! Please! I'm sorry!" Edward cried trying to pull away. His father only laughed at his futile attempts, keeping a superior grin on his face. "I'm sorry, I won't say it again! Please!" Edward's only words afterwards were pure screams as tears continued to steam down his cheeks. "Al! Alphonse! Mom! Please, Someone help!"

Von quickly turned off the tap, turning back to strike Ed in the chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Edward turned silent as he held his breath looking up at his father, muffling the noise of his sobs as he clutched his chest.

"I'm sorry." Ed whimpered.  
>Living Hell<p>

"Shut up!" Von yelled, slapping Edward across the jaw. Edward closed his eyes as tight as he could, fearing the man's next moves. "Go!" he yelled, pointing up the stairs.

Edward didn't move. He didn't know what would happen if he actually did leave. Was it some kind of trick? Would he be punished for it?

"I said go!" Von shot again, grabbing Edward by the hair and shoving him up the stairs. "And don't ever let me hearing you talking like that again!" he stomped away back into the living room grabbing a few more full beer bottles on the way.

Edward didn't hesitate for another second. He scampered up the stairs and into his room, quietly closing the door behind him. He stayed behind the door. He didn't want to move, every time he inhaled, pain would shoot through his chest. He sat down behind the door as if guarding it from a possible threat. He wiped his tears from his eyes and sat quietly in his dark room. He hadn't opened the curtains when he had woken up that morning and his bed was still a mess. He had no clue when Alphonse would be coming home and he didn't want it to be anytime soon, he looked like a complete wreck and didn't want his little brother to be suspicious.

His life really was turning into a living hell.

**Boy, am I glad my parents love me.** **0.0 **

**Gee I had no idea what I was asking for when I decided to post this.**

**Review and I update soon! Maybe Sunday **


	10. Normal

**Thanks for reviewing, guys and keeping me on track. If you somehow didn't notice before, I'm not the author. ^_^ We all know the author is amazing! XD**

**To answer questions, **

**The author is still writing the story and there are 21 chapters so far. I was kinda reluctant to tell yall that though. Don't kill me! 0_0 I'm trying to pace it. **

**I'm pretty sure there is no automail. I think this world is like ours idk. **

**I know people are reading this, I meant to say I would like to know that you want me to add another chapter. Otherwise I don't think people care **_when_** I update. But now I know: You all want updates soon. XD**

**Ch.10 Broken Mind**

Normal

It hadn't been that bad a few month ago, but eventually the abuse had gotten worse. The most recent one that day had definitely been the worse since that one near death experience. His father had never threatened him like that before and Ed knew there was no doubt in his mind that his father would attempt that indecent again. He knew Edwards' weak spot and Ed hated it. Now he could use it when ever it suited his fancy. The only thing that would be worse than threatening him with the sink would be threatening to hurt Alphonse as well. Ed didn't care what happened to himself, but he had to keep Al safe no matter what.

Edward closed his eyes and calmed his breathing as his room fell silent. He couldn't hear anything outside or what his father was doing in the living room. His mind turned blank as he kept quiet and retained his position on the floor. It felt like a few minutes but turned out to be a few hours as Edward heard the front door creek open and close again. Alphonse's voice was cheerful as he greeted their father and headed into his room to drop off his backpack.

Edward quickly jolted up and ran over to the mirror above his dresser. His eyes were still slightly red and it looked like he had just woken up from a long nap. There were faint markings on his face and deep red marks on his wrists, which he made sure to keep covered with his sweater, and his hair was a mess from being yanked around. He quickly redid his braid and rubbed his eyes, trying to make the redness go away. His jaw ached, but nothing else seemed to be wrong. Alphonse came in a few minutes later and Edward made his way to the bed, trying to make it seem as though he was going through a normal day and making casual gestures.

"Hi, brother." Alphonse smiled opening the door. He spotted a glimpse of a skeptical look on his brother's face before it was changed into a smile as well.

"Hey, Al. Where'd you go off to this time?" Edward asked, trying to lighten the mood. The ambiance of the room wasn't really helping.

"The same as usual. Dan, Matt and I hung out at Matt's house and he showed us his new guitar. It's so cool. He's usually into the acoustic type, but he wanted to try something different so he went out last week and bought an electric one. It's a dark red and he was able to get amps for it at a special price to match it. For someone who doesn't play electric, he's pretty good. He's thinking of getting lessons now too-" Alphonse paused as he stared hard at his brother. "What happened to your lip?" he asked tilting his head to one side.

Why does he always notice those kinds of things?

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with it." Edward snorted. At least, he thought nothing was wrong. He had to admit that it did hurt a little, but there was no way Alphonse was able to sense his pain, if he could that was pretty impressive.

"It's bleeding. How did you not notice?" Alphonse asked walking closer to his brother, making sure his observation wasn't false. Sure enough, a stream of crimson liquid was escaping from between Edward's lips.

"I just bit it. I always do that." Edward shrugged, using the back of his hand to wipe up the blood. The taste of iron filled his tongue as he swallowed the remaining blood from his mouth. He never realized it had been bleeding, he hadn't seen it before, but the lighting wasn't that great in the room either. Leave it to Alphonse to spot the littlest detail that's out of place.

"How badly did you bite it? That was definitely a lot of blood." Alphonse asked with the worried look increasing on his face. He remained silent waiting for Edward to respond.

"Pretty bad. I can't even remember why I did." Edward replied with a nervous laugh. "Don't worry about it."

"What about the marks on your wrists." Alphonse interrogated. "Please don't say you got into another fight. You promised you wouldn't." Edward thought he had covered them with his sweater, but as he looked down, he noticed that was the case anymore.

"It wasn't anything big. I just accidentally got in Brandon's way and he grabbed my wrists, nothing more." Edward lied, keeping a stern look to persuade his brother.

"Well I'm glad you're okay. I don't want you to get hurt anymore." Alphonse sighed glancing down at his feet.

"You don't have to worry about it, Al. I'm fine."

With that, Alphonse led Edward downstairs and into his room as he took out his math text book and sat down at his desk, with Edward sitting beside him on the bed. Alphonse had spent the rest of the night preparing for the upcoming test and Edward had left into the kitchen occasionally to check on the dishes cooking in the oven. Their father had passed out a few hours prior to their entrance into Al's room and would be out for the night. Edward was taken off guard when Al quickly changed the topic from school to something else.

"So who was that girl who was at your locker?" he asked smirking at his brother. He almost never saw Edward with anyone let alone a girl.

Edward snorted before he replied. "She's no one. Just a peer tutor for my engineering class. I talked to her once, other than that I've never seen her around the school. Maybe she's new."

"Yeah, I've never seen her before either. What's her name then?"

"Winry." Edward blushed slightly at the pronunciation of her name. He hated the fact he still liked her despite her intentions, what ever they were.

"So is anything... going on between you two?" Alphonse asked, catching the slight increase of pigment in his brother's cheeks.

"No! I said we talked once! Other than that, I'll probably never talk to her again."

"But you want to, right?"

"I guess so. But girls like her will definitely toy with your feelings. She'll make you think you have a chance, then just turn you down when the time comes." Edward sighed. He wasn't even sure why he was explaining all of this to his little brother. Although, Alphonse was an incredibly good listener and the only person Ed was attached to, so why not tell him?

"I know there are plenty of people like that, but what makes you so sure she's that type?" Alphonse asked, turning back to his notebook to scribble down a few more answers.

"Well since you've seen her, you obviously know she's quite pretty. I mean, why would she talk to me and not some attractive jock. Isn't that what type they're into?"

"Ed, why do you always insist on stereotyping people? Maybe she doesn't want a jock. Not all people are identical. I think you're relying on the media to much." Alphonse sighed rolling his eyes. He should have guessed his brother would jump to conclusions, he was always like that and sometimes it was for the better, but this was not one of those cases.

"Still, she probably isn't even interested. Maybe she just wants to be friends and I'm getting my hopes up. If she is new, maybe that's all she really wants."

"But try not to jump to that conclusion. She might not even be new and you might insult her by asking her about it." Alphonse continued, bringing his brown eyes up to meet Edward's.

"Why would she be insulted?" Edward asked raising an eyebrow.

Alphonse sighed. "Ed, you really have a lot to learn about women." he smiled turning back to his work.

"And what makes you such an expert?" Edward shot, keeping his eyes locked on his little brother.

"Believe me, I've heard plenty of stories from Dan and Matt." Alphonse laughed spotting the sceptical look on Edward's face.

"Well lets just say we didn't get off to a very good start." Edward sighed recalling what he had told Winry earlier that day. "She might not even talk to me if I wanted her to."

"What did you do?" Alphonse asked, getting so into the topic he neglected his homework.

"I guess I jumped to conclusions and told her what I thought. You know, about the whole her being that certain type of girl. And well I kinda told her I didn't want to talk to her."

Alphonse let out a loud frustrated sigh as he slapped his palm to his forehead. "Ed, why on earth would you say that?"

"I don't know. I just figured it wouldn't work out."

Alphonse lowered his eyes to the floor and calmed his voice. "I guess I can't really help you there. But I can say that if she ignores from this point on, don't get your hopes up on her. However, if she tries to talk to you, take that opportunity because you still might have a chance." he finished his sentence and looked up at Edward with a little smile. He was excited to finally see his brother take an interest in a girl.

Edward smirked back, giving his brother a playful punch in the shoulder as he turned his attention back to Alphonse's work. It wasn't much, but it was enough information to get him back in the game and maybe have a chance with the one girl who was continuously in his thoughts.

**Edward's an idiot going around assuming things lol. **

**FYI personally I don't really like cussing (I don't really care) nor do I cuss. There's a lot of language in this story. **

**The whole time I was reading this story I kept wondering where their Mom was! Haha but you'll see her later XD. Review if u want to.**


	11. A Chance

**So many demanding reviews! :0 why did I get myself in this mess! lol**

**I'm trying really hard to keep up with all of the reviews, but I'm really busy with DA (deviantart) I get over 200 messages overnight! **

**Yes, I **_**am**_** eventually going to give you a link to the author and everything. Most likely when I get to chapter 21, or 22 if the author is updated by then. It all depends. XD**

**Ch.11 broken mind**

**Enjoy this Edwin fluff! ^_^**

A Chance

It was early the next morning when Edward had arrived at school. The first part of the day had seemed to go by very quickly. Law passed by faster than usual, and Edward didn't mind at all. There was talk about a trip coming up to a court house to see how everything worked, but he didn't pay much attention to it, it's not like he would be allowed to go anyways.

He had been looking forward to engineering since the beginning of the day. He had seen Winry a few moments before walking in the halls, so he knew she was going to be there. She had been walking with a few of her friends and didn't notice Ed glancing at her secretly hoping she would see him. He walked into his second period class and took his usual seat at the back. He waited patiently for the class bell to ring as Winry entered the room carrying a binder and talking to another girl in the class. Mr. Cross wasted no time and allowed everyone to continue their work on the new assignment. As usual, Ed took an available machine at the far end and sat in silence as he started scribbling a blueprint down on his page.

Ed would occasional look over his shoulder to see where Winry was. Alphonse's words were stuck in his mind. The basics were that if Winry came and talked to him of her own free will, he still had a chance. He didn't want to force himself on her in case it didn't work out. They made awkward eye contact a few times as Edward jerked his head back down to his work. Once he was caught by her for the fifth time, she gradually made her way over beside his work space.

"Are you gonna stop staring at me? You're freaking me out." Winry spat placing her hands on her narrow waist. She wore her hair the same way but had a black hoody and light purple skinny jeans.

"Sorry." Was all he could think of. What else was he supposed to say? He was never very good at talking to people and it showed. "I was just thinking..."

"Uh huh," she started as she rolled her eyes. "Well I guess you don't want me around you anymore, So I guess I should get going."

"Winry, listen..." he said looking up at her, meeting with her bright blue eyes. "I'm sorry for acting the way I did to you. I was just upset a little. I mean, I guess I was a little shocked that someone like you was talking to me."

"I still don't understand what you mean by "someone like me" you said that yesterday too and I don't quite know what you mean." Winry said, keeping her eyes on the teen as she removed her work gloves and took a seat beside him.

"Well you probably already know you're attractive, so I was just confused as to why you would even consider talking to me. I'm not that popular or anything and no one ever really talks to me, that's all." Edward looked up at her as he finished his sentence and saw her face was beat red. "What?"

"N-nothing. It's just, no one's really called me that before. At least, not to my face." Winry blushed, pulling at the cuff of her sweater.

"Called you what?...You mean attractive?"

Winry nodded.

"Yeah right." Edward said rolling his eyes.

"It's true. The fact is, I've never even gone out with anyone before. It's not that I'm not into that kind of thing, but I guess I just think really low of myself and didn't think anyone would want to go out with me."

I would.

"That's hard to believe." Edward sighed. "Well I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I guess I jumped to conclusions before I even got the chance to talk to you."

"That's alright. I'm just glad I know what I did wrong. But I guess it wasn't even my fault in the first place."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Edward sighed again. He turned to Winry again to change the subject. She had come back and talked to him, so that was a good sign. "Can you help me with this a little." he blushed, trying to hide his face. The fact was, he didn't need help. He just wanted to see if she would stay.

"Sure. Anything specific?"

Edward's face lit up. Did she really just say that she would stay and help him? That was good, right?

"I'm just not that good with designing things. Once I have the blueprint down, I can take it from there."

Winry nodded as she grabbed an extra pencil from Mr. Cross's desk and came back to help him. She took her seat again and went right to work.

"It's odd to see a girl interested in engineering." Edward started, afraid of the silence passing between them. "Usually it's guys who want to get all dirty and do hands on stuff."

"I know that's the usual stereotype. But I'd actually rather repair a car than go out shopping. Some people find that weird so I usually don't tell anyone. Even my parents aren't to keen on the idea of me wanting to be a mechanic."

"Really? Why not? I thought parents were supposed to support you for things like that." Edward asked. He wasn't concentrating on the work at all now. Not that he wanted to anyways when he had the chance to talk to Winry.

"Both of them are doctors, so they want me to follow that career path instead. They go on a lot of business trips and are away most of the time so I live with my grandma, who's also a mechanic. I definitely feel more at home with her around. She gives me more support than my mom and dad." Winry snorted, disgusted with that fact.

"What is it about being a doctor that you don't like? It doesn't seem like a horrible career."

"I'm just not that interested. Nothing about the medical field really fascinates me." Winry started as she placed the pencil on the desk and propped her elbows up on the table. "For a few years, I went to a medic school and didn't really enjoy it so I came here recently after I convinced my parents that I wouldn't follow through with being a doctor. I haven't talked to my mother or father for quite some time now, ever since I came here this year."

So she is new here.

"I'm sorry to hear about that. I can be tough to go against your parents for something you're passionate about. But if that's what you want, it's best to go with your gut feeling." Edward knew what she was going through, except for the fact that in his family, the situation was completely reversed. Edward wanted to be involved with science and technology when his father wanted him to be in the law force and Edward was forced to do what his father wanted instead of doing what he wanted.

"I'm sure I'll get over it. My parents will eventually see my side of things and then everything will work out." Winry paused at looked up at Edward with a smile. "What about you? Any plans for the future, or is it to soon?"

"I'm looking into the science area of things, but I don't know if its definite yet." Edward sighed resting his chin in the palm of his right hand.

"Really?" Winry squealed, her eyes lighting up. "That's so cool. I've been interested in a little bit of science and- uh never mind." she blushed, putting a hand over her mouth. Edward raised an eyebrow at the sudden reaction, but he couldn't help but smile at the adorable sound that escaped her lips. Ed had enjoyed the last passing minutes of class as Winry helped him. She actually wasn't bad at mechanics at all.

The rest of the day, Winry wouldn't get out of Edward's mind. He was hoping she was thinking about him as well, but that might have been a little to far fetched. In a way it wasn't so great that he kept thinking about her. That made him completely zone out of the classes where he should actually be paying attention. Gym passed by in a matter of seconds and chemistry was almost as fast. He next thing he knew, he was right back at his locker. Alphonse had passed him with a smile as he headed out into the parking lot with Dan and Matt close behind. He sighed and gathered his books as he closed his locker and headed for the front doors. He spotted Brandon and his posse in their usual spot, waiting for Edward to step right in the middle of them.

EdxWinry stuff is starting to become apparent now :P

**Btw the stuff that's not in bold is the original author's notes ^^^ **

**I was thinking if Al wants to help he should go home with Edward so his father won't be so harsh. Thats me tho XD**

**I'd be happy to see what you think of this story :D**


	12. Played

**There is a prologue for this story but I'm not sure exactly how to add it hmm. I totally forgot to add it D: I'm sorry! How should I do this?**

**Ch. 12 broken mind**

Played

Brandon had just finished lighting a cigarette and sat on the tale gate of his pickup while the others rested their shoulders and legs against the side.

"Hey guys, look who came back." Brandon called as he spotted Edward opening the school doors. He tried to ignore them, but they always seemed to get into his mind or under his skin.

"I don't get it. It's like he wants you to beat him up." Another member laughed.

Edward snorted and pushed his way past them, keeping his head low to avoid eye contact.

"Ed!" a voice called. Edward turned around and spotted Winry jogging after him from inside the school. "Do you walk home? If so, maybe we can walk together." she smiled as she stopped beside him. She looked up and met with Brandon's hard brown eyes.

"Well Elric, who's your little friend?" he smirked walking closer to Winry. "I feel insulted that we've never met before or that you've never introduced us."

"It's non of your business." Edward spat.

"Ed, you don't have to be so mean." Winry frowned turning back to Brandon, a wide smile and sparkling eyes peering down at her. "I'm Winry. I just came here at the beginning of the semester, so I guess it's no surprise you've never seen me." she smiled back, obviously being taken in my his charm.

"Well, it's an honour Winry. I'm Brandon. Hey, if you're not doing anything this weekend, maybe you and I can go to a party together. My friend Mitch is having one at his house and-"

"What?" Edward spat. He couldn't believe it! Brandon had only met Winry for a matter of seconds and now he was asking her out! Not only that, but he was the largest player in school. He was just going to use her for a one night stand then dump her the next day.

"I'm not asking for your input, shorty." Brandon glared. "So whaddya say? Sound like fun?"

"That does sound like fun, I'll have to check if I'm free. I know I have a few assignment deadlines coming up, but I'll let you know when I can."

"Hmm, pretty and smart. Just the kind of girl I like." Brandon winked as he jotted down a few numbers on a scrap piece of paper. "Call me and let me know what you think." he smiled as he handed her the piece of paper.

"Alright." Winry smiled, putting the paper in her pocket. "Come on, Ed." she started as she headed down the street. Edward quickly followed. He had to thank Winry for preventing another few bruises on his body, but he had to ask...

"What the hell was that?" Edward spat when they were far enough away from the crowd.

"What do you mean, "what was that?". It looked pretty clear, didn't it?" Winry frowned, hugging one of her books closer to her chest.

"Do you even know anything about that guy?"

"No, but he seemed nice. I mean, I've never heard anyone greet someone like that before. He's quite handsome too." Winry blushed. "Besides, why does it matter to you who I talk to?"

"It doesn't. But, that guy is the last person you want to be with, trust me."

"And what's so bad about him then?" Winry shot staring hard into Edward's eyes.

"If you know the definition of a player, then I shouldn't have to say anymore. He'll just use you like he did with all the other girls in the school. He uses his flashy eyes and smooth voice to win you over then your relationship won't last more than a few days. Not only that, but he's a huge stoner. Name any drug and I'll bet you he's done it."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Everyone knows! Ask anyone in the school and they'll tell you the exact same things. Since you're new here and don't know what he's like, he'll take advantage of that." Edward slowed down and calmed his voice. "All guys like him are exactly the same."

Winry's eyes fell. How could she have been so blind. She had gotten so excited that someone, a young man, was talking to her, and she went along with it with out even considering the consequences.

"You're right." she sighed, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Sorry to discourage you like that. I just don't want you to get hurt because of him."

"No, it's better that you told me now instead of later. But there's no guarantee that I'll be the same as everyone else. What if he actually stays with me?"

"He won't! He's practically dated everyone in the school and the longest relationship he's had went on for a month."

Winry sighed and kept quiet.

"Sorry, Winry. I just want to see you in a good relationship. You deserve a lot better than him."

"Thanks, Ed." she smiled, her soft blue eyes meeting his. "I wish more people were like you."

"I'm afraid if that happened, the world wouldn't be a very nice place." Ed laughed to himself scratching the back of his head.

"Well I'm betting it would be a lot better than a world full of Brandon." Winry laughed.

"That's true." Edward paused as he glanced ahead, his eyes staring blankly at his house a few paces away.

"Is that where you live?" Winry asked noticed Edward unbroken stare.

"Yeah. Do you live far from here?"

"Just a few blocks down. I guess it's a little bit farther. We should hang out sometime, since we're pretty close."

Edward nodded with a smile. Although, he would probably never be allowed to go see Winry even if he asked.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she smiled heading back down the road. Edward nodded and turned to face his father's glare from the front window.

**Uh oh**

**Remember what should I do about the prologue? **

**I love the next chapter. Review if u want me to update soon XD**


	13. No Hope

**I can't believe I'm updating so soon lol. I want lots of reviews now XD**

**Warning: violence and language**

**Ch.13 broken mind**

No hope

Edward staggered into the living room, his father still gazing out the window where Edward had seen him a few moments ago. Ed knew how his father reacted when he saw one of his sons with a girl. Alphonse had never really shown any interest in hanging out with girls, he preferred a night out with his guy friends. Alphonse did have a few girl friends, but he never hung out with them that much and wasn't very interested in having a girlfriend, he mostly wanted to focus on school, so Ed had nothing to worry about there but he was a different story.

"Who was your friend?" His father asked in a cold tone, not averting his eyes from outside, watching the young girl disappear past the hills and traffic.

"Just someone I met in engineering class."

"I've never seen you with her before."

"Probably because I just met her a few days ago. She's new." Edward stared waiting for his father's response. He was hoping he would be in a good mood today. "She wanted to hangout sometime after school. So, would that be o-"

"You will do no such thing." His father shot over his shoulder. "You need to be focusing on your work, not getting wrapped up in some meaningless relationship."

"Who says it's going to be meaningless!" Ed shot, feeling hurt by the comment.

"No high school relationships last. At max, you'll be together for a month. Besides, just looking at her, she's the kind who won't want you to stick around anyways." Von concluded his statements as he returned to his chair and took the remaining sip of beer out of the bottle.

"No! She's not like that! You haven't even talked to her!"

"I've been with plenty of women, Edward, and I know what they're like." Von took a breath before continuing. "You can forget about seeing her. You'll stay here."

"I don't see why you're so against it! Don't you even want me to be with anyone, maybe even get married one day."

"There's no point for you to even try. No one will want to be with you anyways. You'll die alone."

Edward's eyes widened in shock. Of all people to say that, you would least expect to come from your own father.

"No one will want to marry a failure. Just stop trying-"

"Shut up, just shut up you bastard!" Edward hollered clenching his fists, his face bright red with rage. His father was silent, he didn't even seem hurt by the comment. "Why do you always want me to think so low of myself! As a father, you should be encouraging of your sons and not make them feel like good for nothing pieces of shit!"

Von rose slowly from his seat, coming up to face Edward. In a flash, Ed received a backhand against the jaw.

"What did I tell you about talking to me like that!" Von threatened in a low tone.

"It's true. I'm just telling you what I think and hoping that maybe you'll make an effort to become a better father." Edward kept his eyes down, afraid to make eye contact or show the tears building up in his eyes.

In an instant, Edward was caught off guard, a fist colliding with his shoulder blade, causing him to topple over onto the floor. Fire was burning in his father's eyes.

"How dare you speak to me with such disrespect! And how dare you call me an unfit father!"

Edward gathered his courage and clenched his fists. Did his father not understand? The display in front of him should have been a good indication of his father's unfit parenting.

"It's true. I don't care what you think. You're to blinded by your addiction that you can't see what's really going on and the real pain you're causing. I don't care what you do to me, you need to know the truth." Edward took a breath before continuing, keeping his eyes on the floor, not daring to face the threat. "I'm sick of the way you're treating me. I'm sick of this life and how I've kept holding back all these years. No parent should treat any child the way you've treated me."

"The way I've treated you?" Von hollered, keeping his eyes on his son. "What? Like putting a roof over your head, or clothing on your back? I've done all these things for you and you never give me a shred of respect in return."

"The only reason I act the way I do is because of the way you're treating me! Maybe if you weren't to aggressive, I wouldn't hate coming home every night!" After all this time, Edward had never spoken to his father in such ways. All of his anger and frustration had been building up over the years and he was prepared to let it all out.

Von kept his stance over Edward glaring down hard at him with his harsh eyes. Edward knew he was most likely going to regret saying any of what he did, but it had to be done.

"Dad, I'm sorry for being the way I am, because I know you're ashamed of me for some reason, but you know what?" Edward took a breath, his anger increasing. "You're gonna have to fucking live with it! I don't give a damn what you want me to do! You don't control my goddamn life even if you think you do, and nothing will ever change that!"

Von's brow furrowed even deeper as he grabbed the collar of Edward's shirt, slamming him against the wall.

"I do control your life Edward. You're a failure and you should be lucky that I don't disown you right now!"

"Go ahead! I'd rather live out on my own anyway! It's better than being suck here in this hell hole with a bastard like you!" Edward shouted. He could already feel tears falling down his cheeks. His eyes fell to his father's hand which was undoing the buckle on his own belt. He grabbed the end and snapped it off his waist holding it firmly in his right hand. With both hands, Von grabbed his son's shirt and ripped it straight down the middle without any effort as he harshly removed it.

Edward squirmed against his father's hold, knowing what he was planning to do as he kept his watering eyes on the thick strap of leather in his father's hand. His father quickly spun him around, forcing him to place his hands on the wall, leaving his battered back exposed.

"You even think of moving an inch, you'll regret it." Von threatened, staring hard at his son's back, he could see he was already shaking, partially in fear and the fact the cold air of the house was rising up his bare skin.

Von gave no hesitation as he raised his right hand, snapping his wrist and sending the belt cracking against Edward's flesh sending a cry of pain shooting through his throat. It was followed by yet another as he struck down on him again, then again, then another.

"Stop! Please!" Edward shrieked, choking back sobs caught in his throat. He didn't mind crying now since he wasn't facing his father and he couldn't see it, but he still hated the fact he was. "Please, please... please. I'm sorry."

"You said that last time, Edward. But it doesn't look like you learned anything." Von challenged whipping his son yet another time. He smile with satisfaction as the slashes began to bleed.

"I'm sorry." he muffled out after his shriek of pain. "I swear, I'll never do it again. I'm sorry... just please... I don't want this anymore." Edward closed his eyes tightly waiting for more punishment. Shockingly, Von released the belt and walked over to Edward. He grabbed his hair tightly and forced him into the kitchen then to the stairs.

"You stay up there until I tell you to come out!" he hollered in a low tone, sending Edward cowering up to his room. He made sure to close the door before he left to sit on his bed.

**Omgeez I agree with Ed. He's a horrible father…**

**Review and I'll update XD I'm trying to make her amazing story really popular on ff! **


	14. Fragments

**Ch.14 broken mind **

**enjoy and review!**

Fragments

The full-body mirror haunted him from the far side of the room. He hated seeing what he looked like and what he had become because of all the incidents. He got up to face it, walking over and turning around to see the fresh marks on his back. They were worse than he thought, he knew they wouldn't look perfect, but he had no idea they had been bleeding. He turned back to face the mirror staring hard at himself. He hated it. He hated how much he resembled his father despite his age and he couldn't bare to look at it anymore.

In a flash he raised his clenched fists and collided it with the mirror, the reflection cracking to several shards, scattering along his bedroom floor. He panted hard as he removed his now bleeding hand from the mirror's frame. He inhaled quietly as he heard Alphonse come through the front door, greeting their father in his usual cheery voice. He swore to himself, knowing Alphonse would come up to his room at any moment. He quickly changed his tattered shirt and kicked the shards into his closet before walking over to the bed trying as best he could to not look upset. As he predicted, Alphonse came in shortly after.

"Oh good, you're not working." Alphonse smiled pushing the door open all the way to walk inside.

"No, I'm not really in the mood to do homework right now." Edward sighed and looked back at Alphonse who was now beside him. "You're home early today. I thought you'd be with Dan."

"I was. We just went to get lunch. Matt got his G2 a few weeks ago and was finally allowed to use his parent's new car. It's pretty cool. It's a dark red and the interior in entirely leather with an awesome sound system in the back so the base in every song vibrates your back." Edward had to laugh slightly at his brother's last comment.

"You could take a brake from them you know. You've been hanging out with them a lot."

"I know that. The weather's nice so might as well enjoy it while I can. And besides, it's not like there's a lot to do here anyways. Dad's always fixed in front of the TV so I can't even use it."

"Well we could always do something together." Edward suggested, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Me? You'd want to hang out with me? What about your girl friend?"

"She's not my girl friend!" Edward spat, glaring at his brother.

"That reminds me, did you ever apologize to her?"

"Yes, Al." Edward sighed rolling his eyes. "I don't see why it matters to you anyway."

"I was just curious." Alphonse pouted. "I mean, I already know you like her, so why can't I contribute."

"I can handle it myself, OK."

"Have you even called her yet or anything?" Alphonse continued, trying to keep the topic.

"No. I don't even know her number." Edward kept his eyes on his brother as he gave him the why don't you do that look. "I will, just calm down."

Alphonse let out a quiet laugh as he got up from the bed and to the bedroom door frame leading to the stairs.

"Sounds like dad's asleep. Can we eat now?"

**Review and give constructive critism!**


	15. Plans

**Ch 15 broken mind**

**Um to answer some questions: I don't really remember if Winry finds out about the abuse. I'd have to read everything again. You'll just have to see XD **

**Enjoy!**

Plans

It was now Friday and classes passed by as usual. It had been later in the day when Winry had ran into Edward in the hallways on the way to fourth. He long blond hair done up in a messy bun with a black pleaded skirt and tank top. Edward couldn't help but blush.

"Ed, I'm glad I ran into you. I just found out during lunch that there's gonna be a party tonight at Jimmy Hannah's house tonight. Wanna come with me?"

"What about Brandon? Are you not going to that party?"

"After what you said, I don't really wanna be around him now." Winry paused before continuing. "So waddya say? Wanna come?"

Edward glanced down at his feet unsure of how to answer. He was never one to go out with other people, but the fact that he was going with Winry would be another story. And there was always the issue with his father, who hated the idea of parties.

"I don't know, Win. I barely even know the guy."

"Me either. Come on, it'll be fun." Winry smiled, persuading Edward with her charming eyes.

"Well... as long as its not to crazy."

"Alright!" she cheered, her smiled turning even bigger. "If you want, you can come over to my house around 9 and I can give you a ride. My grandma is leaving for the weekend so she won't even know."

"I guess that sounds alright."

"Can we walk home together again?" she asked, her face turning red from asking the question.

oh my gosh! She's so cute!

"Sure." Edward smiled. She gave him a final nod and continued heading down the hall to her fourth period class before the bell rang.

Edward walking into chemistry and took his seat, reflecting and feeling a little uneasy with the response he gave the Winry. The first issue was the party. What was he to expect? He had never been to any gathering before and he knew he wasn't the most popular person in school, then there was the walk to Winry's that night. There was no way he was doing to tell his father where he was going and if he did, he'd probably get smacked around a bit more. His only option was to sneak out.

After school Alphonse went about his business and left with Matt and Dan over to Matt's house for the evening and, as promised, Edward walked with Winry. He felt more comfortable talking with her than anyone else, with the exception of Alphonse. The whole way home, Winry talked about what it was like in her other school and how much different it was. Edward never knew how much of a chatter box she was, but he didn't mind at all. She went on her way when Edward had come to his house, giving him her house number and reminding him to come over at nine before she headed off with a wave.

Upon entering the living room, Edward was shocked to see that his father had already passed out on his chair and hadn't even made so much as en effort to get to his room from the looks of it. He was a little confused by this. His father had never fallen drunk so much to pass out against his will before at least making an attempt to head into the bedroom. Not that he could complain, this meant he got away with a day of no abuse.

He went straight up to his room and closed the door. It was barely 3:00 to he still had six hours to kill before he sneaked out to Winry's. He had never been to any type of party, but he was still reluctant in going. From what he heard, it was a bunch up drunkards staggering around and jumping around to rave music, with the exception of couples who would sneak upstairs and do god knows what. But it was a good chance to hang out with Winry outside of school for the first time and get to know he better, so he wasn't going to pass up that opportunity.

Alphonse showed up back home around five and headed to his room to complete his homework to have a free weekend. He never was one to procrastinate. Edward have it half an hour before Alphonse would come up and join him. Sure enough, with the completion of his work, Alphonse was up sitting on Edward's bed.

"Got any plans for tonight?" Alphonse asked with a smile. "If not, wanna hear me practice?" Alphonse had always been the artsy type, so it was no surprise that he took an interest in instruments too, especially the guitar.

"I haven't practiced in forever. And I need to make sure my part is perfect for the assembly at the end of the month."

"I'd like to Al, but I'm actually doing something tonight."

Alphonse rose an eyebrow. Edward never had plans, unless he was going to play video games or watch T.V.

"Like what?" Alphonse spat.

"I'm going out to a get together. It's nothing huge, but I won't be back until later."

"A what? You're not seriously going to one of those things are you?"

"I've never been to one before so I don't see why I can't at least try one. Besides, it's not like there's going to be much here to do anyways." Edward snorted rolling his eyes.

"And dad let you go? That's a change."

"No, I never asked him. But I know if I did, he'd just tell me I couldn't so I'm not going to even bother asking him."

"Ed! Why would you do that? What if he finds out? Do you want him to get mad at you?" Alphonse shot staring hard into his brother's eyes.

"There's no way he'd find out. He's already passed out. Besides, by the time I get back, it'll be completely dark so he'll be asleep. There's nothing to worry about."

"But still, I've heard stuff about what goes on at those kinds of parties. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Come on, Al. Nothing will happen. I don't purposely start things."

Alphonse would have liked to believe that statement, but he knew Edward was not that kind of person. And even if Edward didn't start things, even the slightest thing to anger him, he would take a fit at.

"Maybe... but I just want you to come home alright."

"I think you worry too much, Al."

**Omigosh, listen to your brother! **

**So I'm thinking about drawing a doujinshi (fan made manga) for one of these chapters, the one where he's almost drowned in the sink. I've never done one before. If I do, I'll give you a link to it. :D**

**Please Review! XD**


	16. Gone Wrong

**Ch. 16 of Broken Mind**

**Please READ this!**

**Ok this has a sexual scene(its like 8 sentences) and I edited that part out, but I kept the important storyline stuff 0.o I asked and its fine with the author! :) I want to keep this rated T. I'm sorry, If u want to read it then message me :) **

**Btw the author is still on Ch. 22**

**For the person who anonymously got annoyed at how I'm uploading these chapters. First of all, I am busy with schoolwork and such (You're lucky I'm uploading almost each day). I'm going at this pace for a reason. And I'm sorry for spoiling the thing about Al. Isn't it obvious he would find out eventually? My other answers didn't give the story away! The rest of my answers are about if Ed likes Chemistry, or if Winry shows up eventually because in the summary I put EdXWin. Etc. But thanks I won't answer anymore questions that will spoil the story. Sorry. Just chill out and be patient please.**

**Sorry about the rant. Enjoy!**

Gone wrong

It was nearly nine when Edward arrived at Winry's house. He was quite shocked at the look of it. It's appearance wasn't bad at all. An old three story Victorian house with vines crawling up the sides and a large stone pathway followed by a blooming garden on either side. Another addition to their wealth was the bright red Ferrari in the driveway. Winry did mention that both of her parents were doctors, so that might have has something to do with it.

He approached the front door and gave it a firm knock before hearing someone come rushing down the stairs. Winry greeted him with a smile as she let him in. Edward was in aw as he stared at the interior. It was almost as amazing as the exterior. Dark hardwood flooring covered the entire house and the rooms were ginormous with antique furniture and paintings hung up on the walls. It must have cost them a fortune.

"You can take a seat if you want. I'm almost ready." Winry smiled rushing into the bathroom to finish her makeup. Edward couldn't help but watch her. He lean figure was shown off so well in the tank top and mini skirt she was wearing. He could already feel the blood rush to his face. She came rushing out five minutes later grabbing her coat and meeting Edward in the lounge.

"Ready?" She smiled, snatching her keys from the table in the hall. Edward nodded and followed her to the car.

"You mean, you're actually allowed to drive that?" Edward asked referring back to the Ferrari Winry was now getting into.

"Yeah, of course. My parents bought it for me for my birthday." Edward couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at her.

"You're family must be rich." Edward stated getting in the passenger side of the car.

"I guess you could say that. But to be honest, I wish they would stop flaunting their money around. I mean, sure I'm fortunate to have what I want, but I wish they would stop trying to rub it in people's faces, it gets pretty annoying." Winry sighed as she placed the key in the ignition and turned. "It's because of their pride that a lot of people didn't like me at my old schools. I was always the rich kid and because of that, people just assumed I was snobby too. I guess that's the stereotype that goes along with having money."

"Yeah, unfortunately a lot of people are like that though. And I guess I was like that with you too." Edward sighed. He completely regretted everything mean he said to Winry and he hoped she knew that.

"I guess... but you at least explained to me how you felt. Before, when I tried to talk to people, they would just ignore me. I definitely like this school way better than my last ones because so far, no one hates me for it."

"And no one should hate you for it. I mean, its not your fault that your parents are like that. What are you supposed to do about it?"

"I only wish other people understood that the way you do."

With that, they were on their way to the party. It was a quiet drive overall, but Edward didn't mind. Winry played her iPod on the car stereo and he was surprised to see what good taste she had in music. The house they came to was a lot smaller than he imagined However, there was still a massive amount of cars in the driveway and along the road and the people who owned those cars were either gathered in the front yard by a fire chugging alcohol or inside jumping around to music with a base that shook the walls.

Winry parked her car along the road and headed straight for the front yard with Edward following behind. A dark haired man with glasses greeted her with a wave from across the fireplace, a beer bottle in his hand.

"Hey Kain." Winry smiled joining him on a lawn chair and taking a beer from the cooler beside him.

"I thought you wouldn't come." he laughed keeping his dark blue eyes on her. He was quite an attractive man, but if Edward had to sit here and watch these two flirt the entire night, he might as well leave.

He was suddenly greeted by four boys who were obviously drunk who wanted him to join them. Edward had never been asked to be a part of anything before so he wasn't going to turn down the offer. He left Winry and headed inside with the boys who grabbed another beer and handed one to Edward as well. Since it was the first party he had ever been to, he might as well enjoy himself. Once he had a few drinks, he was loose enough to do what ever he wanted and talk to people without feeling self conscious.

Winry had come in the house after an hour because it was getting colder out and headed into the closet to grab a sweater. Feeling more bold than usual, Edward approached her.

"Hey, Win." He smiled waiting for her to respond.

"Hey, Ed. I haven't seen you all night. Have you been in here the whole time?" She asked pulling the sweater over her head.

"Yeah, some dudes came and invited me in. You should stay in here for a bit, and hang out."

"I guess I could stay for a little bit. Kain's probably to drunk to even notice I'm gone."

"It's kinda loud down here, wanna head upstairs and talk?" Edward suggested trying to yell over the music in the background. Winry nodded as she lead the way upstairs.

"Wow, there's more people here than I thought." Winry sighed sitting down on what was probably Jimmy's parent's bed. "So, how do you like it? You seemed pretty reluctant on coming here before, so is it alright?"

"Yeah, it's better than I thought. At first I thought I wouldn't fit in at all, but alcohol loosens you up pretty well and anyone will hang out with you if they want." Edward laughed taking a seat beside her.

"Sorry for kind of ignoring you before. But, Kain wanted me to stay with him."

"Do you like him?" Edward asked.

" A little. He's really smart and funny, but I don't know if I like his judgement sometimes. " Winry sighed playing with her hands in her lap.

"Well don't beat yourself up over it. You want someone who can satisfy all you want. There's no way you're going to be able to change him even if you wanted to."

"I know that, but i just feel like he's the only one who likes me and I don't want to turn down that chance."

"How do you know he's the only one?"

"If there were more, they probably would have tried to talk to me already. I don't want to seem desperate or anything, but I guess I can live with going out with Kain."

"He's asked you out already?" Edward asked in shock. Had he just lost his chance?

"No, but he might soon." A few of his friends are telling me that. "I know I've only met him a few days ago, but he doesn't seem that bad."

"But what about me! I like you too!" Edward's jaw dropped. Had he actually just blurted that out in front of her? Maybe the alcohol was working a little to fast.

"You wha-?" Winry asked turning bright red, her eyes widening.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell that at you, but-" Edward was cut off when Winry's lips were pressed against his own, her hand brushing through his hair . His eyes widened in shock, his mouth now burning. Winry slowly pulled away waiting for Edward's reaction. He tried to search for anything to say, but he was in so much shock nothing would come out.

"Sorry, was that was too sudden?"

"You mean, you feel the same?"

She gave her response as a small smile. She placed her hand on his own and glanced up at him with her bright blue eyes.

(I'm editing this out because I want this story to stay rated T)

"Something wrong?" Winry asked with a worried expression.

"N-n-no." Edward stammered.

She smiled, red returning to her cheeks.

Winry slowly used her own hands and slid them up the back of Edward's shirt and onto his bare back, raising his shirt to remove it. However, she was quickly stopped when Edward flinched away.

"What's wrong?"

"What were you doing?"

"That's what usually happens." Winry stated afraid of Edward's reaction. "Are you self conscious about your body?"

"No! I never said I was."

"Then what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Forget it, this was a bad idea." Edward snorted getting up from the bed and heading out to the hall.

"Edward, wait! What's wrong?" Winry cried quickly redressing and following the raged teen. She didn't understand what she had done wrong. She tried to keep up with him as he ran out the front door. She reached the door moments after and stood outside looking around. He wasn't among the people outside and she couldn't see him at her car. He was gone.

**Please review and don't flame :D**


	17. Captured

**Chapter 17 of Broken Mind**

**PLEASE READ MY NOTE AT THE END! Thanks**

**Its important! ^^**

Captured

All Edward could hear was the sound of his own panting. He hadn't realized how far he had gone before he had no clue where he was anymore. He hadn't even payed attention to the streets he was running on or what direction he was going. He felt terrible for running off on Winry like that and had probably made her feel awful. But he couldn't have risked her finding out about the incidents between him and his father, and if she had removed his shirt like she was planning, that no doubt would have happened.

He calmed his breathing before stopping to look at his surroundings. There were only a few houses visible. He was debating over whether he should stop at one of them to ask if he could use the phone. But who would he call?

He was taken off guard when a pair of headlights flashed into his eyes. The car slowed down and came to a halt beside him.

Of course, why didn't I think of that before.

Edward approached the car but came to a dead stop when he heard a familiar voice and the sound of a closing passenger door.

"Well, guys, look who it is." The voice snickered from across the car. "I guess no matter where we are we're gonna run into this loser."

Edward froze as Brandon approached him, his eyes glazed over and a wafting scent coming off of him smelling like marijuana. Even in the pitched black, Edward could see the glistening moonlight reflecting off of several wine bottles in the back seat and bowls with several grams still left over.

"So what are you doing out this late Elric?" Brandon spat releasing the cigarette from his mouth and crushing it with the heel of his boot. "I swear, sometimes you're looking for trouble. Who knows what could happen at this time of night."

"I was just out. It's none of your business anyway. So if you mind, I need to get home." Edward shot pushing past Brandon. He wasn't in the mood for any of his crap tonight.

A sharp pain shot through his arm as he was pulled back by Brandon's brute strength, pinning his arm behind his back.

"You don't wanna spend time with us?" he whispered in a low voice, breathing the smell of toxic smoke into Edward's face, causing him to gag. "I'm sure you can spare a little time, right?"

Edward was quiet as four more of Brandon's friends came out of the car and approached him. One of them carrying a rope and cloth as the others stayed leaning against the car, continuing to take chugs of alcohol out of a large bottle. Edward tried to rip away from the predator, but failed as Brandon kept a firm grip on his arm. Twisting it whenever he tried to struggle. In an instant, Edward was on his stomach, a man straddling him from above grabbing his wrists and tying them together with the rope.

"What the hell do you think you're-!" Edward was cut off when a hand was clamped over his mouth, muffling his words. In an instant, he sunk his teeth into the hot flesh of the hand drawing blood.

"You little bastard!" A voice boomed followed by a fist colliding with Edward's head. Soon after, a gag was wrapped around his mouth as Brandon finished tying his ankles. All Edward could do was scream and hope someone could hear him. Did these guys even know what they were doing?

Edward was soon thrown into the trunk of their car and trapped as the hood slammed shut. It was pitched black and their voices were muffled as they all climbed back into the car, driving off. Edward could feel his whole body shaking, he knew there was no use in trying to scream, no one would hear him even if he tried. What were they even planning? He couldn't help but be scared, this kind of thing only happened on T.V. His whole night was turning out to be a huge mess and he could have easily prevented it.

He could hear the voices of the teens from his position in the trunk and the loud music they were playing, followed by the clinking of bottles and the smell of smoke seeping in from the backseat. These guys were definitely to high to know what they were doing was wrong and it was only going to get worse from here.

After a long half hour drive, the car slowly came to a stop. Edward had no idea where he was but could only pray they were in a town where he could yell and get some help. He could hear the crunching of footsteps approaching the back of the car and stopping. There was a loud click as the trunk opened, revealing the five men standing outside of it. Fear rose throughout Edward's body as the pulled him out of the car. He had no clue where he was and there were now no houses visible.

What the hell's going on? Are they trying to kill me?

With the help of one of his friends, Brandon carried the bound Edward into a nearby area away from the road, shrouded in trees. They dumped him in the saturated soil and took a seat upon an old tree stump as the rest of the gang dumped they backpacks, revealing even more bottles of wine, beer and several bags of what looked like grated plants, but Edward knew what it was.

"I think we can remove his gag now. There's no one around to hear him now." Brandon ordered locking eyes with the younger teen. As one heeded his request the others lit a fire with their lighters and nearby dried leaves, which soon sparked into a decent sizes heat source.

"You guys are sick! What do you want!" Edward hollered getting fed up with their little game. However, they all ignored him as they began to light up again.

Was that all they wanted? To drag him out into the woods to watch them party? It seemed like a pretty ridiculous idea. So they didn't want to do anything to him after all. Edward calmed down more now that he new they would soon be to high to do anything or even green out. All he had to do was wait until that moment and he could take off.

**Ok PLEASE READ. To make everything fair to the people who like to read on fanfiction, I'm adding all of the chapters so you can read it here. If you want to read the scenes I left out you are free to go to deviantart. Please still review. The main reason I put it on fanfiction is to get it really popular because this story is awesome. **

**Guyssss it's so easy to find this story. You only have to type "Fullmetal alchemist broken mind" LOL  
>Idk if links work on here but here it is: http: .com/ **

**The author is FullmetalxWriter. She's so amazing to let me do this. She has another FMA story about torturing Ed, if u want to read that. XD**

**AAAHH I totally left the prologue out. You might want to read that sometime before chapter 20. Man, I feel like a terrible updater waaah!**

**If u want to see my crappy drawing (I think- its practically a doodle) of Ed being pushed around by Brandon from Ch.2 here it is:** **http:/bezawesome. /gallery/31598540#/d45so9l  
>I still have not started the comic tho XD<strong>

**SORRY BUT I HOPE YOU READ THAT :D you guys rock!**


	18. Pain

**Chapter 18 broken mind**

**Make sure you read my note at the end of the previous chapter! There's a link to the author there!**

**For the sake of my reputation and to keep this for teenagers, I edited out the details(a few or more sentences). If you want to read them go ahead and read it on deviantart. Personally, I skipped over this part when I read it the first time. And I didn't miss any plot or anything so I doubt you should either. Basically Ed is humiliated, and there's yaoi (BoyXBoy) stuff :P. This should be the last time I censor stuff. Please don't flame X)**

**You were warned!**

Pain

Edward never realized how long someone could smoke for. It had already been at least an hour and they weren't taking it any easier than when they got there. They were still going and dancing around the fire place acting like they were performing a tribal dance and yelling at the top of their lungs. One of them had already passed out and was leaning up against a tree with a bottle in his hand, but the others were still going strong. They seemed to have forgotten Edward was even there, until he made eye contact with one of them.

"Hey, guys!" One of them yelled, unaware of how loud he actually was. "You know what would be funny right now?"

The others responded with a cluster of yelling and cheering, as if knowing what he was going to say next. He approached Edward and dropped his bong, allowing his hands to be free to drag Edward out into the centre of the teens.

"Let go of me!" Edward screeched, his body now coated in mud from the short drag. None of the boys seemed to even register Edward's pleading as they continued to smoke and drink. They began the chant the name of what seemed to be the identity of the teen near him: Blake.

Edward was harshly flipped onto his back, now coating his hair in mud as his attacker's hands moved down to his belt, undoing the buckle.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" he screamed, thrashing hard against Blake's efforts. His efforts may have had some effect if his limbs weren't tied so tight that the rope cut off their circulation.

The chanting became louder and louder as Blake's rough hands removed Edward's jeans down to his bound ankles, the bare skin of his legs now exposed to the open air.

"Stop it! Please! What do you think you're doing!" Edward was no longer able to hear his own screams as the chant became over powering, encouraging Blake to continue with the event.

"Stop! Please! Please!" Edward cried. He could feel hot tears building up in his eyes. He had never been so humiliated in his entire life. Why were they even doing this in the first place?

"I'll do anything! Just please, stop!" He kept screaming hoping that somehow that would stop them, but it did nothing.

"No! Get away from me! Stop!" Edward shrieked as loud as he could as Blake inched closer, grabbing Edward's side and flipping him onto his stomach, the mud now chilling his entire body. He tried to struggle as much as possible, fighting desperately to get Blake off of him.

"My, it looks like Elric has had some rough action before." Blake taunted, laughing at the sight of the lash marks on Edward's back. The rest of the group laughed in unison.

"Don't look at them, please!" Edward closed his eyes as tight as he could, hoping when he opened them, this would turn out to be a dream, or more, a nightmare. However, their laughter was real. They were laughing at his pain, his weakness, taunting him and he knew it.

"What do you think you're doing!" Edward shrieked. This had to be a dream, there was no way this could be real. Were these guys really that high?

"We're just having a little fun, short stuff." Blake laughed, taking a firm grip on the teen's waist.

"Knock it off! Stop!" Edward cried, feeling the cold air on his full exposed body. It was bad enough that he was self conscious, but this was crossing the line. Nothing Edward yelled seemed to reach them, he wanted to get up and run, go back to Winry or hell, even go home, he didn't care where he was he just didn't want to be here.

He could barely feel it at first. His skin was turning numb from the air nipping at his bare flesh, it felt almost like frostbite. He could feel the length closing in now inflicting the most pain on his body that he had ever experienced. He would have rather been beaten by his father ten times than have this happen to him.

Even over his pained cries, Edward could still hear the others cheering.

Why did he have to leave the party alone?

"Cops!" a teen shrieked, spotting a pair of headlights in the distance. The whole group jumped into panic mode, stashing all of their alcohol and drugs into a backpack as Blake recomposed himself and Edward, leaving him in the mud with tears now staining his face.

"Guys come on!" Brandon hollered, taking long strides deeper into the forest. The others quickly followed, grabbing the passed out teen and snuffing out the fire before running after the leader. The headlights were now just beyond the foliage, soft footsteps approaching .

Edward panicked. If he was caught, would he be punished? The smell of pot was still lingering in the air and fire hadn't even completely gone out. There was no doubt that Edward would look guilty and there was no way he was explaining what actually happened. Either that would happen or they would just take him home and talk to his father and that was the last thing Edward wanted, especially after having his innocents forcefully stripped from him.

He quickly shuffled himself behind a large tree trunk, keeping his form hidden from the approaching flashlight beams. He could hear voices mumbling about something in the distance. He made sure to keep his breathing to a minimum until the surroundings were completely silent and the tail lights of the car disappeared. He needed to get home as soon as possible before Brandon and his group considered coming back or before his father noticed he was missing . He quickly fought his way out of the restraints, biting the ones on his wrists then untying his ankles.

Edward had no idea where he was and had no idea which direction to start heading. But first things first, he needed to stand. A sharp pain shot through his lower back, forcing him down to his knees, swearing. He needed to suck it up if he was planning on getting out of here, where ever 'here' was.

He made his way to the car Brandon and his buddies left parked at the side of the road. The cops must have just taken the license plate number to save themselves searching for the runaway teens. He opened the backseat doors, searching frantically for anything to help him out. He must have had a spot of luck in his gloomy night as he spotted the glint of a cellphone in the front seat. There had to be someone he could call.

He glanced down the list of contacts on the screen, sighing in relief as he spotted Winry's name and number within the bunch. Clearly it was Brandon's phone. He didn't even care what Winry would say to him or the awkward silence he would have to put up with, he just needed to get home.

O_O oooh boy. Well, I needed to make Edward's situation even more depressing for later on X_X I'm so sorry Ed.  
>Next chapter is coming soon! And its a doosy.<p>

**Original author's notes^^, Poor Edward. Review- I'd be glad to know what you think.**


	19. Relived Nightmare

**Ch. 19 of Broken Mind**

**Not my story. Lots of F bombs guys 0.0 warning**

Relived Nightmare

As he predicted, the car ride home was as uncomfortable as ever. All Winry did was give him side glances and ask him the same questions over and over again. Where did you go? What happened? Those seemed to be the only phrases she could say. Edward didn't respond to either of them. He kept his elbow propped up beside the window staring out at the pitched black scenery as if there was actually something there to look at.

Edward kept his head low as he left the car, stepping on to his driveway. He didn't want to give Winry any chance to talk again so he quickly closed the door with a slam, turning his back to her gaze. With every step he took towards the door, a pain shot through his lower back. He looked over his shoulder at Winry who was slowly backing out of the drive, her hurt eyes falling as she drove away.

Edward let out a sigh. Maybe this had all been a huge nightmare. Something he was imagining and couldn't seem to get out of fast enough. He glanced upward, spotting a light on on the second story, his heart lurching. He had turned off the lights before he left. Could Al be awake now? Maybe he went into Ed's room to wait for him. His legs now shook with an uncontrollable force as he headed inside. Something inside of him was telling him to turn around, to just start running and never look back. But he proceeded anyways.

The sound of the front door closing seemed to be ten times louder than it usually was as it shut with a click and echoed throughout the house. All he needed to do was run a few meters and head up the stairs as fast as he could. He was almost blinded at the sudden light washing over the room with the click of a light switch... that Edward never touched. He shielded his eyes with his hand, freezing as he spotted his father's large physique in the shadows of the next room, his eyes glazed over.

"D-d-dad..." Edward stuttered, pressing his back against the door. He spotted a case of empties placed beside his father's chair. He had no idea of whether he had drank all of them in one night or over a long period of time. Either way, it didn't matter now, his father was drunk as always. If he had to, he would run out of the house if his father made a harsh move.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Von shot, lowering his hand from the light switch.

How could Edward possibly talk his way out of this? There was no good lie as to why he had come back home at 2 am and covered in dirt and god knows what else.

"I-it wasn't a big deal."

"You think not telling me isn't a big deal?" Von asked, his voice increasing in tone with every word.

"Well I knew you'd say I couldn't go out so-"

"Then why did you!"

"I'm sixteen! I think I can start thinking for myself and making my own decisions, it's my own life!" Edward shot. He was getting way to far ahead of himself. He wasn't even thinking about what he was saying before opening his mouth. Who knows how mad his father was about him missing, so it wasn't in his best interest to blurt out anything.

Von stormed up to his son, pulling his head back by his hair, forcing him to look into his eyes. Edward let out a pained shriek before staring at his father.

"I don't give a shit whether or not you're sixteen! When you live under my roof, you do as I say!" he yelled, striking Edward across the face with a backhand. "You had no business leaving tonight!"

"I don't care! I'll do whatever the fuck I want to!" Edward fought. He could already start to feel a bruise form on his cheek. In a flash he was thrown on the floor, his father kicking him in the ribs. He tried to back away, but his attempt only lead him to be trapped in a corner.

"You fucking psychopath, stop!" Edward shrieked again, trying to block his father's blows with his arms.

Von reached down, snatching Edward by his hair again, trying to force him into the kitchen. Edward had never fought so hard before in his life. He had no idea what was going to happen in there once they arrived. All he could do was kick and thrash in hopes that his father would release his harsh grip.

Despite his best efforts, they had already taken several steps into the kitchen. They moved past the stairs, so Edward's hopes that he was being thrown in his room slowly faded. They moved past the fridge and headed towards the...

"NO! Please!" Edward pleased, spotting the reflection of the water floating in the sink. His father had already gone through the trouble of filling it ahead of time. How long had Von realized he had been missing?

"I gave you a fucking chance, Edward! And it's your own fault for fucking it up!" Von shot, shoving his son closer to the sink.

"No! You can't do this! Please! Let me go!" Edward cried, feeling hot tears fall form his eyes. There was no way, at this hour, that anyone would come to the door and save him again. Would he just have to accept death?

"To fuckin' late!" Von hollered, forcing Edward's tear-stained face into the water.

Edward couldn't help but scream. He knew it wasn't the smartest idea. His air supply would run out in a matter of seconds, but there was still the slight chance that someone would hear him. Von had pinned his arms behind his back, making it impossible to fight back. But Edward still swung out his legs, trying to kick the bastard anywhere.

His own salted tears mingled with the water, and his hopes were washing away. There was only a matter of time before he would have to start inhaling water. Panic was starting to set in. He tried to lift his head, but his father's hand was holding it firmly in place.

"Dad! What are you doing?" a small voice cried.

Von whipped around, spotting Alphonse staring wide-eyed at him from his bedroom door.

"Go to bed, Alphonse!" Von yelled in a harsh tone. Alphonse's eyes fell to the figure he was holding, light blonde hair fell over the counter top.

"Stop!" he yelled, running over and grabbing his father's arm. He tried with all his might to try and make him release the grip he held on his brother's head.

"Would you fuck off, and go to bed!" Von yelled, releasing his hold on Edward and striking Alphonse in the cheekbone, sending him toppling backwards with a loud cry.

Edward was able to pull himself out of the sink, choking and gagging as he tried to clear his throat of water. His breathing was now at a rapid pace. He looked over his shoulder, wondering what had stopped Von from finishing his deed. His heart shattered as he saw Alphonse in the corner of the room, tears falling from his brown eyes as he held a large welt on his face. The culprit standing over him.

"You fuckin' bastard!" Edward shrieked. His father turned around just in time to have Edward fist collide with his jaw, throwing him against the wall. "Don't you ever fuckin' touch him!" He hollered, standing in front of his little brother, who was desperately trying to hold back his loud sobs.

Their father snapped, grabbing Edward shirt and throwing him against the table, digging the edge into his lower back, which still throbbed from earlier. He was struck again with his father's rough backhand as he was forced to lay on the table top, looking up at the attacker, who kept his rough hands on his shirt.

He opened a counter drawer, pulling out a large kitchen knife, forcing it up to Edward's throat. He applied some pressure, but not enough to make a gash.

"You've done nothing but ruin my fucking life!" Von yelled, watching the tears pour from his son's eyes.

"I-I haven't done anything to you." Edward wept, hating the fact he was acting so weak in front of his brother.

"You're going to pay you little brat!" Von hollered, pressing the knife harder into Edward's flesh.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing?" A high voice cried from the doorway. Edward could only see a soft hard grab at Von's arm, trying to remove the pressure of the blade.

"Alphonse, fuck off!" Von yelled, whipping the knife backwards over his shoulder. But what the blade made contact with wasn't Alphonse. Chestnut coloured hair was strung in a pool of blood and light green eyes clouded over like a rain storm.

"Mom!" Alphonse cried, his tears falling even faster as he watched her business suit become stained with red.

Edward got up from the table, watching in horror as the life left his mother's body. Von was stiff. His whole body dropped beside the woman. Edward knew they had to leave. He had no idea how much his father would snap once reality kicked in.

He quickly ran around his father, grabbing Alphonse by the hand in a hurry, trying to head to the front door as fast as his shaky legs would carry him. Alphonse was so far from reality that he let Edward pull him out of the house without a fight.

Edward knew they needed to get away from the house as fast as they could. He could barely see where he was going. His eyes were clouding with tears and his heart was racing faster than it should. This had to be the worst nightmare he'd ever had. He ran his shaking hand over his throat, feeling a light slit forming in his skin, the blood still warm. It wasn't only his hand that was shaking, but his whole body.

He looked down at his little brother, his small hand still clenching his own with fresh tears falling from his innocent eyes. His light brown hair hid his expression in shadows. Both their heart had been stabbed by the scene they had witnessed, and they had left their father in such a wreck and in the most drunk stage Edward had ever seen him.

It was still dark and morning would be arriving soon. Their father might have called the cops already to track them down, or he could be out looking for them now. They needed to leave the area as soon as possible. He knelt down in front of Alphonse, who still kept his face hidden, using his palm to wipe away the tear tracks down his cheeks.

"Al, are you alright?" Edward asked, trying to hide a sob in his voice and the tears stinging his eyes. He gently placed his hand on Alphonse's cheek, using his thumb to slide over the welt on his eye. His brother looked up at him, his eyes still leaking tears.

"I'm so sorry. I-" Edward choked as his head dropped. He couldn't believe he had let that bastard touch his little brother. It was his fault that all of this happened.

"Mom...she-" Alphonse tried to find the words to say, but were lost in a world of nightmares.

Edward could feel his heart braking with every passing second. He had dragged his little brother into this without him even knowing. Alphonse had had no idea what was going on every night at the house, and now his broken expression was enough to make the tears fall from Edward's golden eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry." Edward cried, pulling his little brother into his arms. "I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop him."

Oh nos! What's gonna happen to Ed and Al? find out soon the next chapter shall be uploaded sooner than you think XD  
>The whole "killing the mom" thing may have been overdoing it, but I needed that to happen in order to get the ending I was planning to have Enjoy!<p>

**Original author (fullmetalxwriter)'s notes ^^**

**Wow Ed's practically asking for it..Omigosh poor Al and Ed poor Mom! Review!**


	20. Consideration

**Chapter 20 of broken mind **

**You should read the prologue if u haven't yet. Refer to chapter 17 for a link XD**

Consideration

The large grey cloud had moved in about an hour ago. The feeling of the rain drops against his face was beginning to annoy him, like the tears of god. He brushed his short black hair out of his eyes and behind his ears, his whole outfit was soaked.

He was getting tired of his late work shifts every night. It gave him no time to do anything once he got home. He would wander into his small town house and sit there alone until he fell asleep. It was a routine that was quite depressing and boring. It seemed as though everyone around him was having a good life besides him.

The sight of bright flashing lights caught him by surprise. Blue and red flashes mingled together giving a violet tint to the surrounding buildings. He stopped for a moment, trying to see what had caused the scene. There was only one cop car in the area, but passing individuals were already starting to stare.

He recognized the two faces that were glancing at the officers. He had seen them before on his way to work a few moments ago. They were wandering around aimlessly looking more lost than small children in a forest. He couldn't help but notice their eyes. The life seemed as though it had been completely drained, looking straight ahead as if trying to see something that was not visible to anyone else. They didn't speak, and any words the officer spoke to them would just wash right through their minds.

He couldn't get past their appearances. He had never seen them before, but it looked like they had been living in the streets for days. He didn't have time to stop and watch the scene or he would be late for work and never hear the end of it.

He arrived a couple minutes late, but was lucky enough that no one saw him come in. He quickly changed in one of the stalls and made his way up to the post. One of his Co-workers was already waiting for him with an annoyed expression on her face.

"This is the third time this week." She groaned, handing the man a riffle. "Are you ever going to show up on time?"

"Gimme a break Hawkeye, I've had a lot to think about." he sighed, taking the gun from her hand. He walked over to the window, seeing the inmates already starting their last moments outside.

"There's no way you're going to get a raise if you keep pulling this stunt." Hawkeye sighed, leaning against the far wall of the room as Roy continued his stare out the window in a daze. She sighed before speaking, keeping her dark brown eyes on him.

"So what were you thinking about?" she asked, fixing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "It must be pretty big if keeps making you show up late." She joined him beside the window, watching a group of four men play basketball in the courtyard.

"I just don't really know what to do with my life. I'm already 30 and feel like I've wasted every year of it." Roy sighed, his mind pounding as the rain hit the metal rooftop.

"Sir, 30 isn't that old and you have plenty of years to look forward to. It's not completely a waste, you're just being to pessimistic." She snorted, resting her riffle on her shoulder.

"Well I know I want to do something with my life, but I haven't decided what, hence the reason I've been thinking." He rubbed his forehead before turning to look at the woman. "I was thinking I might go travel for a while, but doing that alone isn't really that great. Then I thought about trying to find someone to settle down with, but I just don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment yet."

"Well don't try and force yourself into anything. Just think of something simple and work from that."

"I honestly think that I need someone with me at home. I mean, I go there every night and spend my days alone. But like I said, I don't think marriage is really an option for me right now."

"Have you ever thought of having kids?" Riza asked, waiting for Roy's expression.

"I really don't think that's a better option. I'd be gone all night and they'd be left alone. Besides, I don't really know what I'd be like as a parent." Roy sighed, turning to rest his back on the window, crossing his arms. He tried to envision it, but kids seemed like more trouble than a wife.

"Well if you were to adopt, than you could pick which age you wanted. I'm sure an older child wouldn't mind being left alone for a few nights. They'd be asleep anyway." Riza reassured, watching Roy's face change. He seemed to be considering it, but he was still puzzled about the idea.

"It does sound like a good idea, but what if things don't work out? I don't want to adopt a kid and then have to get rid of it. Who knows what they'll be like. If I do get an older child, the way they are now is going to stay."

"That's why you go and look at them before you choose. You'll get a good idea of how they react and how they treat people." Riza smiled.

"You seem really chipper about this, Hawkeye." Roy frowned. She seemed more excited about the idea than himself.

"I just think you'd make a good father that's all. If you do go through with this, it's a huge turning point in your life." She kept a smile on her face as she proceeded. "Would you prefer a girl or a boy?"

"Wow, calm down! I haven't thought that far ahead. I'm still iffy about whether I'm going to even do it." Roy said, putting his hands up as if to stop her sentence.

"Well if you do, you have to let me know, okay?"  
>Roy sighed, placing one hand on his hip and the other on his forehead.<p>

"I still don't know. I'll give it some thought tonight, or I might even stop by one of the residences soon, just to see if I'm really ready for it."

"Either way, if you decide to get a child, you'll have to wait at least a few month before you can have it in your custody, so you'll have plenty of time to prepare." Riza smiled, her excitement growing with every second. "You're lucky we have a few homes around here. That should make things easier."

"This may be a big step, but I'll consider it."

YAAAY! Mustang's first appearance :) In case you didn't catch it, Mustang works as a prison guard in those cool little watch towers XD  
>Also, the first part of this chapter is where the prologue is taken from yaaay<br>Enjoy

**Review XD**


	21. The Visit

**Chapter 21 of broken mind**

**Enjoy!**

The Visit

It was almost noon once Roy had finally woken up. He had stumbled in past midnight again and forgot to close the curtains in his room, leaving the sun to scorch his eyes. He groaned before getting up and heading to the bathroom. He had given quite a bit of thought about the option Riza had presented him over the past few days and had thought about if for another few hours before finally passing out and going to sleep. He figured if he was going to visit an orphanage, it was going to be today. The thought of having someone to come home to didn't sound that bad. It was also a commitment, but it seemed way easier than getting married.

He took a quick shower while thinking of where to go first. Riza had told him there were two places in the area and were always willing to take offers for adoption. Roy wanted this to be as simple as possible and not have to fly to some foreign country.

He was a little uneasy about going. The only orphanages he had seen were in movies and they all seemed brutal. They had all been dirty and run down, with all the children wearing nothing but rags, and the owner of the building were the grouchiest people you could imagine. He could still back out if he wanted to, but he might as well take a look just in case.

Once he got dressed, he whipped out his phone, checking the location of the homes online before stumbling to his car. At least the rain had stopped so he wouldn't be more depressed than usual. He kept his radio station on low as he proceeded on the highway, listening to the hum of his car's engine.

The first building he came to sent a chill down his spine. It seemed like something you'd see in a horror film. Sure, the landscaping was nice, but the building looked like it hadn't seen a hammer and screw for a few years. He continued his drive, telling himself he would come back after his next trip, but he probably wouldn't.

He came to the second building after a twenty minute drive. It looked like a old Victorian house, built with white brick and a dark roof. It didn't seem scary at all but actually, quite nice, which put his nerves at ease. He was greeted at the door by an older man, a few years older than himself who lead him inside. The interior looked almost identical to a house, but there didn't seem to be very many kids.

"Are you interested in adopting, sir?" the man asked, leading Roy into the living area. He was seated across from a little girl colouring on a piece of lined paper.

"I'm considering it, yes. I just wanted to see what was available." Roy said, keeping his voice calm. At lease it wasn't what he had imagined.

"We have quite a few children here. I know it doesn't look like it right now, but this place is pretty large and you'll find we have a lot more than you think." He man smiled, sitting next to the little girl. "This is one of our younger ones, Elicia." he said, patting the child on the head. She looked up with a smile as he turned back to Roy. "I'm Norton by the way."

"I'm Roy."

"Well, Roy, it's a pleasure to meet you. Are you looking for a specific gender or maybe a specific hair colour?" Norton asked, watching Roy's eyes glance around the room.

"I haven't quite decided. I'm really a new comer when it comes to kids. I don't really have any specifics." Roy smiled, spotting another child peeking at him from around the corner.

"Well, I'll show you around to everyone and let you see them for yourself." Norton smiled, leading Roy around the house. There were actually a lot more kids than he thought. Most of them were together outside, playing small games of hopscotch, jumping rope and ball hockey. Other ones were inside playing hide and seek and in their rooms reading. Roy had eventually lost count of all of them.

Norton was about to lead the way down the stairs to the first floor, when something caught Roy's eye, almost like a déja vu. A small child sitting on his bed flipping through an old chapter book. His blonde hair and dark eyes were definitely recognizable. Roy slowly made his way into the room, waiting for the boy to acknowledge him. Dark brown eyes met with Roy's black ones.

"Hey, there. Whatchya reading?" Roy asked with a smile, taking a seat beside the small teen who gave him a puzzled look. "I'm Roy by the way."

The boy was quiet for a moment before putting a small smile on his face.

"I'm Alphonse." he squeaked looking down at the book in his hands. "This is just an old book I found downstairs."

"Looks pretty neat, what's it about?" Roy asked again. It didn't seem like the kid was a jerk in any way and he didn't seem to mind talking with him.

"Just about old inventions. I'm only on the invention of the first air plane. It's pretty much a collection of all the main inventions that have helped out man the most."

"I didn't know kids your age were into that kind of thing." Roy said after taking a glance around the room. It was pretty bare except for a few paintings on the wall. There were only two beds with a side table and a closet.

"I like anything to do with science and math. I know it's rare to find anyone who actually likes that kind of thing. Some people think I'm weird for it." Alphonse sighed, lowering his head.

"It's definitely not weird. Those kind of things can get you pretty good jobs. And besides, if it's something you like, who cares what anyone else says about it." Roy smiled. This was definitely the kind of child he would like to have. He seemed smart and nice and not outspoken at all. He was also a good looking child overall. He was still curious why he had seen him on the street before though.

"Get out!" a voice spat from the doorway. Roy was thrown off guard, almost letting out a yelp. His eyes met harsh golden ones as he stared at the boy at the door, his teeth bared like a rabid dog.

"I was just talking with this boy, we won't be much longer." Roy said softly, trying to calm the raged look on the teen's face.

"I don't give a damn what you're doing! Get out!" the teen yelled, pointing down the hall.

"Ed, you don't have to be so mean! He wasn't doing anything!" Alphonse called, a broken expression on his face.

"Just shut up, Al, okay! I don't want anyone near you!" Edward spat, now glaring at the boy on the bed.

"Ed, stop it! Why do you keep acting like this!"

Roy was frozen. That was the second boy he had seen on the street. Had they always lived here?

Roy's thoughts were cut short as he felt a rough pair of hands grab his shirt, throwing him near the door. All he could see was a mess of golden hair before he was thrown back against the railing of the hall. Norton, who had been waiting downstairs, quickly came rushing up.

"Mr. Roy, are you alright?" he asked, dusting off his shirt with the back of his hand. "Edward, that's enough! You're not getting anything to eat tonight!" he hollered, glaring at the teen.

"I don't care!" was Edward only response. Roy could see a hint of tears on his checks before he slammed the door in front of them.

"I'm so sorry about him, please forgive me." Norton sighed leading Roy down the stairs again.

"It's no big deal. It wasn't your fault anyway." Roy said, taking a seat across from the man at a dining room table. "Is he always like that?"

"Ever since he came here. I won't lie, he is a handful."

"How much do you know about him? Is there a reason he acts like that?" Roy asked entwining his fingers.

"Of course there's a reason, especially if someone behaves like that." Norton took a breath. "Both him and Alphonse came here at the same time. It was only about a few days ago but-"

"So can I safely assume that they're related somehow? They both look pretty similar."

"Yes, they're brothers. Edward is the older one of the two, but by only a year."

"Sorry for interrupting, continue." Roy said, keeping his attention devoted to the words the man spoke.

"They were brought here by the police after they were found outside. So, I was able to get most of their story when they arrived. They had told the department that their father had killed their mother out of blinded rage. Once they spoke with them individually Alphonse cooperated, but Edward was more touchy. They had found several cuts and bruises all over his body and he refused to tell them what had happened. If it was a simple fight, there would be no reason to hide it. But usually when people don't tell the truth about that kind of thing, there's usually one answer."

"Abuse?" Roy asked. Norton nodded.

"That's what the police are suspecting. Judging by the deathly action of the father, I can only assume he was the cause of it. Most father figures are." he paused before continuing. "The police went to their house to try and find out more and they found their father dead on the kitchen floor, they say it was suicide."

"You're serious?" Roy asked, his eyes widening. "Do none of the other children have a past like that?"

"Most of them are here because of their parents were killed in an accident or they can't afford to keep them anymore. They're all fine with being here, but Edward seems to be the biggest handful."

"What about Alphonse? I can't imagine him being like that."

"No, you're right. Alphonse is one of the quieter ones and gets along with everyone else. From what the police told me, Alphonse wasn't a subject to any neglect or abuse, which would explain the way he acts."

"Well I would like to talk about perhaps me adopting Alphonse. He seems like a nice kid." Roy started, remembering the soft look in the boy's deep brown eyes.

"He is a nice boy. But I do have to inform you of something before you consider adopting him." Norton interrupted, crossing his hands in front of him on the table. "We offer the adoption of that boy in more of a 'package deal'."

Roy didn't respond. He only raised an eyebrow waiting for the man to continue, seeing as he didn't quite understand what he was talking about.

"Both of those boys are very close, and I wouldn't want to rip them apart, especially after the experience they'd had. Edward is also very protective of his brother so he wouldn't allow anyone to take him alone anyways." Norton sighed waiting for Roy's reply.

"So you're saying, if I want to adopt Alphonse, I need to also adopt Edward?" Roy asked, swallowing a lump in his throat. His first encounter with the kid hadn't been one he wanted to remember and he didn't really want to live with that everyday.

"I'm afraid so. We've already had a couple of people come in and become interested in the boy, but then backed out once I told them the offer."

Roy almost felt sorry for Edward, but he felt more awful for Alphonse. That child could have a nice loving home by now if it weren't for his brothers' fiery temper. But Edward had been abused most of his life, so Roy did understand where his anger was coming from.

"Would I be able to speak with Edward for a moment?" Roy asked, a little nervous.

"Are you sure? I don't think he's in a very good mood at the moment."

"It's better now than later. I just want to see more of what he's like."

Norton sighed as he headed up the stairs to the boys' room, bringing the older brother down with him after a few minutes of persuasion. He lead the teen to the dinning room table across from Roy, where he sat only a moment before. He still held a despised look on his face.

"What do you want?" Edward shot crossing his arms in front of his chest. Roy looked up at Norton before speaking.

"Could I just speak with him privately for a moment?" Roy asked. Norton nodded as he stepped out of the room and across the hall to join Elicia in the living room.

"So what the hell do you want?" Edward asked again, keeping his harsh tone.

"I was just discussing with Norton about how I wanted to adopt your brother." Roy started. He stopped once he saw the terrified look in the boy's eyes. He was taken aback when Edward's fist collided with the table.

"No! You're not taking him! I don't care what you do, you're not laying a finger on him!"

"Edward, would you calm down. I'm not finished yet." Roy said softly, showing the teen he wasn't a threat. "But if I were to adopt Alphonse, I would have to adopt you as well. I just wanted to know your opinion on that. Would you mind if you and your brother came to live with me?"

Edward paused. His expression changed, but not by much.

"No! Al and I don't need anyone! We're fine on our own!"

"And what does Alphonse think about this? Does he know you're making all the decisions for him?" Roy asked, staring hard into the boy's golden eyes.

"He doesn't need anyone! And neither do I! As long as we have each other, we'll be fine." Edward spat, slamming his fist on the table again, sending a hollow noise echoing through the house.

"And what would be so wrong about having a home?"

"I-I don't want one."

"Why? You and your brother could get out of here and come live in town with me. Wouldn't that be better than staying here with a whole bunch of people you don't even like?"

"No, i-it's not like that." Edward stuttered. Roy couldn't believe how fast this boy's emotions changed. A second ago he seemed raged and now he looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm just giving you an option. If you want to stay here, I can't stop you, but I just want you to consider it, okay?" Roy finished, watching the boy hide his eyes behind his bangs before quickly bolting upstairs.

"Is everything alright?" Norton asked after hearing Edward's bedroom door close with a slam. He found Roy still sitting at the table with a blank expression.

"Yeah, everything's okay. If it's alright with Edward, I'd like to take that deal you offered."

"You're serious? What did he say?"

"He hasn't said anything yet. He seemed really against it when I first talked to him, but I think he might be considering it. I'll come back in a few days to see what he has to say." Roy smiled, getting up from his seat. "Besides, I'll be taking him off your hands." he joked with a small grin.

Norton nodded with a quirky smile before walking Roy to the front doors. Roy waved before leaving, thanking him for the tour. He turned to leave, heading back to his car. He looked over his shoulder as the doors closed and golden eyes glancing at him from the second story window.

and Mustang finally meet :P Now it's all up to Ed XD  
>I don't know to much about orphanages, but I tried to do as much research as I could... not that it helped much, but I hope it's close enough XD<p>

**Gee Ed's so brash lol Review!**


	22. The Decision

**Chapter 22 of broken mind**

The Decision

The whole room was deadly quiet. None of them had spoken for several minutes, the silence being downed out occasionally with the sound of playing children. Alphonse had remained on the bed ever since Roy had shown up and Edward was still staring out the window from the position on his own bed.

"What did that guy want?" Alphonse asked, afraid to speak.

"Nothing really." Edward shrugged, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, propping it up on the windowsill.

"Did you apologize to him?"

"For what?" Edward spat, shooting a look at his brother.

"You completely overreacted. Why did you go after him like that? He wasn't even doing anything wrong." Alphonse argued. Edward stayed quiet, not even giving so much as a shrug.

"I don't understand. You've been like that to everyone. How do you ever expect to leave here if you can't even talk to anyone?"

"It's non of your business, Al." Edward spat, his voice sounding more harsh than usual.

"You could at least try to be nice and maybe we'd be given a chance. But knowing your little performance, you've screwed us over again." Alphonse shot rolling his eyes. "You're a real jerk sometimes."

"What? Because I want to protect you?" Edward argued.

"You're not protecting me at all. All you're doing is ruining our chances of finding a home." Al replied, a hurt tone in his small voice. "I don't want to be here anymore. I just want a home and go back to the way things used to be."

"Well get over it! Things aren't ever going to be the way they were before."

"You don't know that. You're just being a pessimist. We could find someone, Ed. Then we could live together like a family again and forget about the past."

"Well have fun with that."

Alphonse sighed, turning back to his novel. He knew Edward's situation was much different from his own. It hadn't taken him long to figure out what had happened a couple days after they had arrived. Edward had been changing in the corner, trying to hide his body, but Alphonse had caught a few glimpses, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed on his bed. Between that and watching what his father had been doing that night, he could put two and two together.

"Ed, can I just ask you something?" Alphonse asked, keeping his eyes on the book, but directing his voice towards his brother.

Edward nodded with an unimpressed expression, although Alphonse couldn't see it.

"All of the people who've come to see us, they've been male. Does that have anything to do with the fact you don't want to be a adopted?"

Edward felt his body lurch. He was lucky Alphonse had still been focusing on his book or he would have been questioning even farther.

"Are you stupid? That has nothing to do with it." Edward lied, keeping his eyes averted from his brother. "I think you're looking into it a little to much. I just don't see a reason why we shouldn't live here. This is like a home after all."

"This isn't like a home at all." Alphonse sighed. He knew he would never get Edward to understand how he felt. There was no way Edward would want to go live with another man. All of his trust in anyone had disappeared after what their father had done.

There was a long silence before Alphonse spoke, his voice small and hurt.

"Ed, why did you lie to me?"

Edward was taken a back by the sentence his brother had just spoke. What was that even supposed to mean?

"I'm afraid I don't get what you're asking." Edward spat. "When did I lie to you?" he only watched is brothers fists clenched as the began to shake.

"You promised you'd tell me what was going on, don't you remember?" Alphonse said in a low voice, keeping his eyes on his book, although he wasn't even reading it. "You never told me anything. You never told me what dad was doing." Edward's eyes fell, his teeth bared like a dog.

"That wasn't something you needed to know. Besides, even if I had told you, there's nothing you could have done."

"That's not the point! It's the fact that you lied to me even though you promised you'd tell me everything!" Alphonse shot, throwing the novel on the floor. "Maybe I could have helped, even if it was just for comfort." he said quietly, pulling his knees up to his chin.

"Al, if I had told you, you just would have gotten upset. Besides, you probably had more important things to worry about."

"Ed, stop! You keep making up these stupid excuses! If you didn't want to tell me anything, why did you promise me something in the first place?"

"Maybe because you were pestering me about it! You couldn't just leave well enough alone."

"Great, it's good to know you don't trust me." Alphonse shot, snapping his gaze away from his brother.

"Al, that has nothing to do with it-"

"Yeah, sure it doesn't."

Edward looked over at his brother, his hurt eyes falling back to his novel on the floor. There was no way he would get Alphonse to understand. He didn't really enjoy telling anyone his personal stories, but he also didn't enjoy arguing with his brother, so he decided to drop it right there.

He sighed before returning his gaze outside. He kept thinking of that man who had talked to him. All of the other adults had turned him down, but this guy was actually considering taking him in, but why? Why was he so different from everyone else? Either way, it was a way for Alphonse to get a little happier.

"Al," Edward started, waiting for his brother's attention. Once he had Alphonse's eyes, he continued. "What did you think of that guy? The weird black haired guy that was talking to you."

"He seemed nice. Than again, I never really got the chance to talk to him that much." Alphonse shot in a harsh manner. "But from the short time I did talk to him, he seemed really nice."

"So I'm assuming you liked him?" Edward asked.

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't really matter now, seeing as you messed things up again." Alphonse spat, burying his eyes in his arms.

"But if he were considering adopting you, would you go with him?"

"Were you not listening to me? I pretty much said I'd go with anyone to get out of here!" Alphonse said, raising his voice getting up from his position. Norton had called everyone down for dinner and was now expecting him downstairs.

There was a silence that passed between the siblings as Alphonse headed for the door, grabbing one of his sweaters before leaving Edward alone. He wasn't allowed to have anything anyways, so he didn't even bother heading downstairs. Instead, Edward stayed in his room lost in his thoughts.

Maybe he would take that guys offer. If it would make Alphonse happy, it was worth a shot. He wouldn't have to be stuck in one spot forever with annoying screaming kids and that in itself was enough to make him go, but he still didn't want to leave with a total stranger. That guy may have been putting on a 'nice guy' act and then act like a total jerk when they were at his home.

He sighed as he heard the repeated noise of his stomach growling. He had been acting up ever since they had arrived at the home, and he hadn't eaten something solid for at least four days. He was even considering being nice, but everyone around him pissed him off to some extent so it was harder than he thought.

Alphonse returned after a long half hour wait. Despite how upset Edward was at the moment, he would rather have his brother in the room with him than be alone. He was thrown off guard when a sweater was thrown at his face, breaking his stare with the window. It was the same dark sweater Alphonse had taken down with him.

"Thanks for the gift." Edward spat rolling his eyes. He was about to toss it aside when he felt something in the front pockets. He reached in grazing along the inside of the pockets with his fingertips, grabbing hold of a thin type of fabric before pulling the object out. He slowly unravelled the fabric, which had ended up being a napkin, finding five fresh chicken nuggets sitting in the bottom.

"I snuck those up for you. You haven't eaten in a while so I figured you'd want something." Alphonse sighed before taking a seat beside his brother on the bed. "Sorry I couldn't bring up the whole plate." he grinned.

"Al, you didn't have to do this." Edward said, feeling a little guilty.

"I know, but I just wanted to apologize." Alphonse started, locking eye contact with the hardwood floor while picking up his book. "I'm sorry for talking to you like that. I was kind acting mean and kind of a jerk."

"Are you talking about before? You call that being mean? Al, that was hardly anything. You don't have to apologize for nothing." Edward assured with a small laugh. "Beside, we're brothers, it's our job to argue and fight every once in a while."

"I know, but I was just upset about this whole thing. And no offence or anything, but you were kind of annoying."

"About what?" Edward asked raising an eyebrow.

"When they guy was here, you were acting to over protective, almost like a parent. It's like you want to control my life or something." Alphonse sighed, waiting for Edward's response.

All Edward could do was feel his heart rip apart. The way Alphonse was feeling was the exact same way he felt when he faced off with his father. Some adult figure was trying to run his life for him and now he was doing the same to his brother. He knew he was being a little protective, but had no idea Alphonse felt that strongly about it.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just scared that's all." Edward replied, his hands shaking. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. I couldn't protect you last time, so-"

"And I appreciate that, but still, you're acting more like a parent. I like you better as a brother than a father." Alphonse said softly, trying not to get Edward to up tight.

"Sorry." Edward sighed, lowering his head. He jumped slightly when he felt pressure against his shoulder. Looking down, he spotted Alphonse resting his head against his body, closing his eyes.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, brother, I just want you to know how I feel." Alphonse sighed. "I'm just upset about this whole thing. I mean, who knows how long we're going to stay here."

"Al, there's something I didn't tell you."

"There's a lot you haven't told me, but go ahead anyways." Alphonse sighed lifting his head. Edward shot his brother a look before continuing.

"It's about that guy. He- he wanted to adopt us."

"Really? You're serious?" Alphonse smiled, his eyes lighting up. "How do you know this?"

"That's why I went down to talk to him. He just wanted to see what I thought about the idea." Edward explained, fidgeting his his hands.

"Ed, please don't tell me you turned him down." Alphonse said, worry growing in his voice. He knew Edward hadn't liked the man at first glance and there was definitely that possibility.

"Well, I did at first, but-"

"Ed! Why would you do that! He was perfectly fine! When on earth did you find wrong with him?" Alphonse said raising his voice, giving his brother a look a extreme shock.

"Al, would you calm down and let me finish." Edward spat, shooting his brother a look from over his shoulder. "I did to begin with but then he was willing to let me think it over for another day or so and he's gonna come back to see what I thought."

"Really?" Alphonse asked, his eyes lighting up like a full moon. "What are you gonna say?" he asked watching his brother's eyes fall. Ed couldn't believe how fast Al's moods could change.

"I might consider it. I mean, you wanna get out of here and I guess he didn't seem to bad, but i still don't feel one hundred percent sure I can trust him. But it will still be a while before he can live with him, there is a lot of paper work after all-"

"So you're saying yes?" Al interrupted trying to hide a smile on his lips.

"I think so. After a few months of waiting, I think I might be able to live with that guy-"

"Really? You mean it?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" Edward spat raising an eyebrow. Alphonse looked so happy, Ed thought he might self destruct.

Alphonse was at a complete loss of words. Despite his last encounter with the man, he was still willing to go with a complete stranger just because his little brother wanted to go somewhere new.

"What's with the face?" Edward asked, still staring at his brothers beaming expression.

"It's just, I never thought we'd have a chance to get out of here. We can actually start living like a family again. But promise me that you're not gonna freak out on him again." Alphonse shot pouting his bottom lip, referring back to his brother's last reactions. Edward sighed, placing his hand on his brother's head and grinning before speaking.

"I can try to promise, although there's no guarantees. But I'm willing to do whatever I can to make sure you're happy."

I think it was pretty obvious that Ed was gonna eventually give in, but oh well, I needed to write another scene with him and Al just to clear up a few things XD I also just realized that I forgot to mention that the auto-mail isn't in this story.. and probably won't be. I was thinking that maybe his dad would cut his limbs off or something, but I don't think I could write something THAT crude O_O

**So there is no automail! :P She hasn't updated yet so I will when she does. Make sure to review guys! Cya XD **


	23. Arrival

**Ch 23 Broken Mind**

**Thank you DeathBySugarCube for letting me know there was an update! Thank you FullmetalxWriter for writing this!**

**Omg its here! Sadly when I uploaded all of those chapters the other week, the views shot up, but the reviews like died:( I predicted it lol.**

**Can we have at least 10 more reviews by the next time Ch. 24 is written? Please? :D**

Arrival

All Roy could do was pace. An action he had now done repeatedly for hours now. It had been over six months since he had filled out all the paper work and now he played the waiting game. Six months ago, he had returned back to the home and discussed the adoption plan with Edward, who, to his surprise, had accepted. After several hours of documents and endless minutes of background checks, the decision was made final.

He had received a phone call about a week ago, informing him that the brothers would be brought to his place around noon on Saturday, today. Fortunately, this was a day where Roy didn't have to go trudging off to work, so could at least watch over the boys for a day or so.

Roy could feel his knees shaking. Partially because he was excited and the other half was because he was more nervous than he had ever been. What if things didn't work out? He had the feeling Alphonse and him would get along perfectly fine, but Edward was a different story. The fact that he accepted Roy to be his guardian, didn't mean he was grateful by any means, nor did it mean that Edward was going to change his attitude.

After a few months of waiting, Roy decided to look into parenting a little more by looking through books and scanning websites with his phone at work. He needed to make sure he was the best parent in order to make the brothers comfortable, or maybe he was just freaking out too much and needed to calm down.

He watched as the minutes ticked on. There was only ten minutes remaining until twelve. He scanned over his house once more to make sure nothing looked out of place. He had set up the extra bedroom for the brothers after shopping for hours with Hawkeye at IKEA. Roy was never into interior decorating, so he left all the decisions up to Riza, who was thrilled with the idea. A few hundred dollars later, and his house was set.

His heart froze when a black Ford pulled up into his driveway. Time seemed to stop until the drivers' side door opened and an older man came out. One who looked similar to Norton, but easily wasn't the same person. Edward soon followed, by coming out of the passenger side door and Alphonse from the back. Roy hadn't seen them for a few months, but the only difference was that Edward's hair had lengthened out a bit more and Alphonse had grown an inch or two.

Roy greeted them at the door with a cheerful smile. The only one who didn't returned it however, was Edward, who kept his eyes locked on the patio steps as the older man spoke.

"I know we're a little ahead of schedule, I hope you don't mind." He said with a small embarrassed laugh.

"Not at all. The sooner the better." Roy smiled, leading the boys inside. "Do you want to say for a bit." he asked, deeply hoping he would accept so it wouldn't be quite so awkward.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have a lot of work to do back at the home." He paused and looked down at Edward. "Make sure to behave yourself." he shot. Despite the man's bright smile, he contained the coldest voice Roy had ever heard.

Edward gave no response, or any kind of action to show he even heard the sentence. The older man gave a quick wave before heading back to his car.

"Make sure to give us a call if you have questions or if anything goes wrong." He called over his shoulder. Roy nodded, although he hadn't seen it. The conversation ended when Roy closed the front door, leaving himself in charge. He gave an awkward cough before speaking, glancing down at the suitcase Alphonse was holding.

"You can put that in room. I hope it suits you. It's not much, but you can decorate it however you want, I don't mind." Roy smiled, leading the two boys into the next hallway. Their bedroom was the last one in the hall, with Roy's a few pace away.

Roy lead them inside the room, making sure both boys had taken it in. Edward seemed less than impressed, but Alphonse's eyes lit up.

"This is awesome. It almost looks like my old room." Alphonse stated, laying the suitcase down on the bed nearest to him. "I can use that dresser, right?" he asked, pointing to the piece of furniture on the far wall. Roy nodded.

"Ed, I'll have the bottom two and you can have the top, okay?"

"Sure." Edward shot coldly, not even making eye contact with him. But Alphonse proceeded as if he didn't notice.

"If you want, we can go shopping and you can get some more clothes if you want." As much as it pained Roy to say those words, it was for the better. He hated shopping as much as the next guy, but it was a good way to start off their relationship.

"I don't want you to spend money just on our behalf." Alphonse said over his shoulder, kneeling down to fold up his clothing in the drawers.

"Well think of it as back to school shopping. After all, school starts in another week."

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot." Alphonse smiled. "I can't wait to go back and see everyone again."

"So whadya say? Wanna head out tomorrow?" Roy questioned again. He looked over at Edward, noticing he hadn't said one word to him yet.

"That's fine with me." The younger one said, turning to his brother, who said nothing but gave a shrug.

"I'll show you the rest of the house. It's not very big so there's no chance of getting lost. And it's one floor, which makes navigating easy." Roy lead the way out of the room and Alphonse followed. However, Edward stayed put.

"Don't worry about him, he's just in sort of a daze right now." Alphonse sighed rolling his eyes. "I'd love to see the rest of this place." There was not point in trying to force Edward up if he had no intention of moving. That would only make him more pissed.

Edward was left alone to drowned in his own thoughts. His gaze was locked on the hardwood floor where Alphonse and Roy had stood a few moments ago. Half of his mind was wondering what to do now and the other half was trying to pick out images in the ruts and creases of the wood. Roy didn't seem so bad so far. If he was going to be a jerk to them, you'd think that he'd start now, unless he just wanted to gain their trust first. But Ed knew he should stop thinking so negatively about everything.

What Alphonse had asked him before had been true. He had never wanted to go with anyone who wanted to adopt him because they had all been males, and quite large at that. With every male adult figure, the blond couldn't help but have the image of his father plastered on their faces, which was enough to make him flinch away.

The house was left completely quiet for what seemed like forever. Edward thought that Roy and Alphonse had somehow vanished, until Roy showed up at the door with a soft smile on his face, leaning against the door frame.

"Where's Al?" Edward asked, straining his neck to see behind the older man, seeing nothing but air and the next room.

"I guess I made the mistake of showing him my study. He doesn't turn away from books does he?" Roy chuckled quietly, but stopped when Edward's eyes fell from his gaze.

"I guess not." the teen shrugged. He was caught off guard when the mattress sunk in beside him where Roy was now taking a seat.

"Ed, I still get the feeling that you don't like me. I know it's understandable, I mean, you have to adjust to me first and our first meeting wasn't exactly a good one but-"

"What are you getting at?" Edward snapped, wanting Roy to be more blunt. "Just stop beating around the bush."

"All I'm saying is, is there anyway for our relationship to be a bit more... sturdy?" Roy asked, scratching the back of his head. It wasn't the best word to choose, but it was better than telling Ed directly that he should trust him. He knew it would take a while for the boy to get used to another adult around.

"I think I just need time." Edward sighed. He was jealous of how Alphonse acted around other adults. He had nothing to fear and could trust anyone he wanted to, he was a perfect kid and no one had any reasons to dislike him. Unlike Alphonse, Edward felt more and more self conscious whenever someone looked at him, like he could feel their hate burning into him.

Edward looked up, catching Roy staring at his wrist, which barely showed past his sweater. He snapped his head down, seeing the bright red marks that had burned into his skin from his father and quickly flinched, shooting up from the bed, holding his arm close to his chest.

"Ed, I'm sorry." Roy quickly apologized, physiologically hitting himself for being so rude. "I didn't mean to stare." He heart sank when Edward didn't reply. Roy took a deep breath before speaking.

"Don't worry, you don't have to say anything. But do you need any help? I think I have some aloe vera gel in the ba-"

"I don't need your help!" The blond snapped, keeping his back towards Roy. "Can you just leave me alone."

Roy sighed, getting up from the bed. There was no point in staying. The teen was clearly upset and probably wasn't going to get any better with him there. Even a short two minute visit with the boy didn't go over well. Anything Roy did ended up getting the kid mad enough to yell at him, making him feel like the worst person to walk the face of the earth. There was no point in punishing him since his actions were justified, so Roy thought that simply leaving would be the best option. Even as he walked to the door, Edward made sure to keep his eyes away from the gaze of the black haired man.

"Lunch will be ready in about fifteen minutes. You can come out and eat if you want." Roy stated, trying to keep his voice calm and not sound to frustrated. He didn't wait for the boy to answer before he stepped out of the room, proceeding into the kitchen.

He knew he had to be patient with the teen. He was never very well educated in child abuse anyways, so he had no idea what would set the kid off, but he just kept breathing and taking it one step at a time and eventually he might come around. But Roy did know something about bottling emotions. There was only a matter of time before he opened up.

This is a kind of short chapter, but the next one will have a lot more action in it. And not the the crazy car chases, guns, police kind of action... well maybe police, but there'll be a lot more interesting events XD And I hope no one minds that I kinda skipped a few months of their lives X_X

**10 reviews? :D**


	24. Revenge

**Ch 24 of Broken Mind**

**Here it is! Ya'll are great reviewers! XD FullmetalxWriter says she intends to finish this story YAAAY! and that there will NOT be any yaoi (however u spell it) in the later chapters. I think you misunderstood that review, they wanted me to send them the scenes from ch 16&18. **

Revenge

Edward could have easily waited longer until school started. It was painful enough to go back to school shopping with Roy and Al, but actually arriving there finally was more agonizing than he thought. To everyone else, he had fallen off the face of the earth for a few months without any warning. He wasn't even excited to see Winry, especially after their last time together. Alphonse had been practically jumping up and down in the back seat of Roy's car talking about how he was so excited to see Dan Little and Matt McKinnon, and Edward hadn't contributed at all.

The school hadn't seemed to change at all. The front gardens looking as dead as ever and the bricked walls containing several chips and fractures from age and god knows what else. It was the same dump he was used to.

He had gone in a few days ago to pick out his classes with Alphonse. He was thankful that he was finally in grade twelve, meaning he could pick courses he actually wanted, with the exception of the mandatory course of English. Most of his courses had been some kind of gym, power-fit and sciences, which seemed to be simple compared to his little brother's schedule containing any kind of math and science available; pretty much anything an average person would hate with a passion.

Edward kept his head down as he shuffled to the new location of his locker and separated from Alphonse at the first intersection. He did receive quite a few questionable glanced from students he had had in his class the previous year, wondering why he had suddenly reappeared, but he had payed no attention. Most of the students were focused on the grade nine newbies getting lost and stopping dead centre in the halls, so Edward had to thank them for that.

His first class ended up being gym, so conveniently, his locker was in the worst place possible. It wouldn't have been a bad location if his locker had been beside the first gym at the front of the school, but he had to be situated near the second gym at the back. Just his shitty luck. But the whole hall was practically empty, and Edward didn't mind the peace and quiet. He didn't have anyone to meet up with or go find, so he spent the rest of his morning fidgeting in his locker and getting his gym clothes ready for his first period. The only thing that stopped him was the sound of a high voice beside him.

"Edward?"

His head shot up instantly, glancing to his right, finding a young teen at his side, an astounded look on her face.

"Winry-" Edward was about to speak, until the young girl's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close.

"Winry- wha- what are you doing?" Edward asked, his voice a low whisper, his cheeks turning a bight crimson. He could already feel himself heating up.

"Where have you been? You just- suddenly disappeared." Winry shot, her blue eyes building up streams of water. "I never even said goodbye. And you never called and-"

"Wow, Win, calm down. I-" Edward stopped his speech midway. What was he supposed to say to her? If she was almost on the verge of tears now, his life story wouldn't make it any better. "Listen, can we discuss this later. I don't really wanna talk about it right now."

Winry sighed before speaking.

"You have to promise me, okay? Don't go telling me you're going to talk to me and then run off." She shot, crossing her arms, watching Edward roll his eyes.

"Okay, fine. I promise." He quickly changed the topic. "What are you doing down here anyways? This hall is practically abandoned." he joked quietly.

"I'm just picking a locker. Is this one taken?" She asked, pointing to the locker beside his own.

"Um, not that I know of. Why on earth would you want a locker down here?"

"Well it would help, seeing as I have gym first period." She smiled, taking her bag from her shoulder, and hanging it on one of the three hooks.

"You what? Since when are you into gym? I thought you were all about machines and wrenches and being a gear junky." Winry frowned, but didn't take it seriously. Coming from Edward, that kind of thing was more or less like a compliment.

"And what's wrong with me trying something new?" She shot, grabbing a second bag and packing her extra pair of clothing into it.

"Okay, but I'm just curious as to why you took a co-ed gym class as apposed to an all girls class."

"Okay Mr. Smartypants. Why did you take co-ed gym then?"

"Well Miss Bossy, I already took an all boys class last year so I wanted to try something new, but that doesn't give you a reason at all." Edward shot playfully, putting his balled fists on his hips.

"Did you just call me bossy?"

"Got a problem with that? That's what girls are, aren't they?" Edward said with a grin. "And don't change the subject. You still never answered my question."

"No reason. You'll just have to figure it out on your own." She smiled, heading into the gym, bag in hand. Edward sighed, following her into the gym.

There were good and bad reasons for Winry being in the same class as him. The main reason was the fact she wore the most attractive outfit he had ever seen on any girl. It showed off her figure perfectly and he couldn't help but stare. But there was a down side to that. He wasn't the only one who was staring. Practically every other boy in the class had their eyes locked on her, and trying desperately to sneak in any time to flirt. Edward tried the best he could to ignore it, but he hated the thought of Winry with other guy. Even after his little performance a few months ago.

Unfortunately, Winry was only in that one class, which was understandable, seeing as their interests weren't at all alike. But he did enjoy how she had spent time with him during lunch. He had seen her with a few other friends before and after classes, but she had chosen to hang out with him. His lunches weren't that excited, but even just sitting in the halls and talking to her was enough to make his day. But he knew he couldn't get close to her. He was a failure after all.

Before fourth, Winry had promised Edward she would walk home with him and to wait at the lockers. As he promised, he waited for her until she arrived happily with her books in her arms. Greeting him with a smile. Edward was grateful that Roy had a house in town so he could at least walk a few blocks with Winry, even if the walk wasn't as long as it used to be. But then he would have to explain why he was living in a different place and everything else that came with it.

"What did you have last?" Winry asked, quickly packing her bag, glancing at Edward over her shoulder. He had been ready for a while now and was now leaning against his locker.

"Advanced Functions." Edward shrugged, as it it was the easiest class he had ever taken.

"You're serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Edward frowned. "Think I'm not smart enough for it?"

"I didn't say that." Winry shot, slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "I knew a few people who took that class and dropped it within the first month, either that or they barely passed with a 51%."

"Well I've always enjoyed math. I didn't even do any homework last year and I passed with a 90."

"Yeah right. Stop jerking me around." She smirked, shoving him in the shoulder.

"I'm not kidding. I've always been good at math."

"Well you'll have to prove that." Winry smirked. "How bout you help me this year."

"You're taking math this semester?" Edward asked. She also didn't seem like the math and numbers type of girl either.

"Don't act to shocked." She said rolling her eyes. "I thought it would look better on University applications so I might get into better programs. But anyways, yes, I am taking math. Data Management."

"So you want my help?"

"To be honest, I've never been that great at math. I barley squeaked by last year, so I definitely need to boost my average. So? You gonna help or not?"

"That's fine with me. You want me to help during lunch or something?"

"That'd be good. Then you can show me just how good you are." She smirked, closing her locker and heading to the front of the school with Edward close behind. She reached the front doors in a matter of minutes, pushing the handle and leading them outside.

"So do you want to start tomorrow or-" She paused, catching an odd look on Edward's face. It appeared to be a combination of agony and anger, resulting in the most horrific expression Winry had ever seen.

"Ed? Are you okay?" Winry asked, gently taking hold of his arm, however, he shrugged it off, keeping his eyes locked on a specific teen in the parking lot.

"Wait here, okay." Edward said coldly. He wasn't giving her an option.

He stormed into the parking lot, the sharp pains of his nightmares returning to his back. He could feel it again with every step he took towards the young man, causing his rage to increase at a fast rate. The teen was sitting on the trunk of his car, lighting up; and had no clue Edward was now giving him a death glare a few meters away. He was alone.

He caught the sight of Edward's converses in his peripheral vision, causing his head to perk up at the new presence.

"What the hell do you want kid?" The teen spat, shoving his lighter back into his pocket. Edward gave no reply. He only had one thing on his mind and it didn't involve talking to this sickened rapist who called himself Blake.

"If you're just wasting my time, you can leave." Blake ordered coldly locking eyes with Edward, who hadn't blinked once yet. He felt completely disgusted. It was just his luck that Blake would return for another year, what some would call a victory lap. He must have been to dense to get into any universities.

"I said you can leave squirt." he shot again, breathing a puff of smoke into the air. The smell was enough to drive Ed crazy. The same sent as that night.

He snapped.

In an instant Blake was pulled off of his car and viciously thrown onto the pavement by Edward's right hand, Edward now standing over him, with no intention of walking away.

"What the hell is your problem you bastard!" Blake yelled, hoping to get the attention of a nearby adult. For someone who used to hang out with Brandon, he was a complete wimp. Edward could already catch a glimpse of fear in his eyes. He was practically the only one who had ever seen Edward angered to this extent, and it wasn't a pretty picture.

Edward didn't say a word. His fists spoke for him as they collided with Blake's jaw one after another. He could already hear Winry screaming in the background at him, but that wasn't enough to get him to let up. Edward's mind seemed to black out. He could feel someone pulling at his arms, trying to get him out of the tangled mess he had made. It was now a flurry of arms and legs as Blake tried to block the blows and Edward kept them coming.

After a few seconds even more arms came in, all trying to pull the raged teen off the victim, with no success. He recognized one of the voices being his last year's chemistry teacher. Even at the sound of angered and concerned teachers, Edward didn't stop. He knew deep down in his mind that he should, not knowing what would happen if kept going. But his brain was so clouded with the pain of his memories that he didn't even care. Blake had ruined his life, ruined his innocents and he needed to pay.

His ears were soon filled with the sound of yelling and sirens. However, most of the screaming was his own. Half from reality and the other from his memories. With every strike, he remembered his father and all that had happened in that one night. That was only more motivation to fuel his fire.

It had taken three men and a whole minute to pry Edward off of the teen, still lying on the ground, blood clotting on his face. Even after he was pulled off, the blond was still like a wild animal, clawing and yelling as he was forced into the back of a car. In his blurred vision, he could see the purity of the ambulance now parked in the lot, but he seemed to be in a different kind of vehicle. Another one with sirens but wouldn't be taking him to the hospital.

Yaay go Edward! hahaha I know fighting is wrong, but Ed deserves it :P Definitely excited for the next chapter :)I wrote this one fast than I thought, but I'm sure some people are very happy about that XD There will only be a few more chapters after this, but then you can look forward to me new depressing fic :P Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)Yay Ed 3

**This had cute Edwin, and some fighting XD. Omg I can't wait for next chapter. Ten more reviews before the next chapter please? Thanks!**

**Ya I found a few typos earlier but forgot where they were D:**


	25. Comfort

**Chapter 25 of Broken Mind**

**I will put updates of Broken Mind on my profile, so the answers of questions will be there so you can know everything, without having to wait for me to update a chapter. Enjoy! FullmetalxWriter is awesome! Btw no yaoi. :D**

**read this^**

Comfort

It was like a déja vu. Panic was starting to set in. He was grateful that the cops hadn't taken him to the station, or at least, he thought he was grateful. That meant he didn't have to start a criminal record or explain why he had acted like that and attacked Blake. Instead he would have to face Roy, and that's when he panicked. It was his first day of school and already he had gotten into a fight, he was bound to be furious about that, furious enough to maybe...

He shuffled up to the front steps, two police officers followed, one placing his hand on the teen's shoulder to ensure he didn't try to run off, and the second on the other side of the boy.

Edward could already feel his body shake and he was positive that the police could feel it too. But it's not like they would think much of it. Any teenage boy would be terrified to confront his guardian when he's being taken home by the cops.

Alphonse had probably gone out again, another piece of crappy luck, but at least he wouldn't be questioned as to why he would look so terrified or what had happened.

He could picture it perfectly. It would happen the exact same way as before. All Edward knew is that he needed to run into his room as soon as he entered the door. And that's what he did.

It hadn't been two seconds before Roy had opened the front door and Edward bolted past him into his room. He didn't hesitate the slam the door. He needed to find somewhere, anywhere to hide. Their room didn't even have a closet, which would have been an obvious place anyways. He was way to big to squeeze under the beds, and the only other piece of furniture big enough for any kind of protection was the dresser.

His hands were shaking and he could barely think straight, his breathing getting more and more intense. Any minute now Roy would come barging into his room and do god knows what. He didn't want to die. Not now, not anytime soon. He felt hot tears in his eyes when he heard the front door close. The only place to go was crouch in the corner beside the dresser.

Roy came in shortly after, expecting to find Edward on his bed, but instead curled in the corner of the room like a two year old. His knees were pulled up to his face, with his eyes buried in his arms. He slowly approached him, not even sure the teen had acknowledged him yet.

Roy crouched down in front of him, waiting for him to look up, but he never did. His golden orbs stayed hidden behind shaking limbs, soft sobs coming from the blond's mouth.

"Edward," Roy said, unsure of how to start. He didn't want to get angry at the kid, but he needed to understand the mistake he had made. He took hold of his arm, trying to get the boy to look at him. It seemed like a simple gesture, to Roy at least.

A sharp scream echoed off the walls, as Edward shook Roy's hand away, trying desperately to shuffle back into the corner. He thought that maybe if he scrunched up small enough that he'd disappear.

"Edward, are you okay?" Roy asked quietly, feeling his heart sink to the pit of his stomach as he released the boy, his eyes still hidden. "You can talk to me if you want. I just want to know what happened."

Edward violently shook his head, trying to hide the sobs that were racking his body. Tears had already started down his cheeks, but he couldn't show defeat, however he was doing a lousy job at it.

"Can you at least get up from the floor?" Roy asked, trying to get any kind of speech out of him. But Edward didn't budge. There was no way he was going to fall for that trick. Getting up meant better mobility.

Roy sat down in front of him crossing his legs. If Edward wasn't going to get up, the only other option was to join him.

"Edward, please, just look at me." Roy sighed gently placing his hand over the boy's.

"Let me go! Please!"

Roy jumped back, as Edward's eyes finally met his own. Water steaming from both of them, a look of shear terror on his face.

"Please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I-"

"Edward it's okay." Roy said quietly giving him a soft smile. He placed his hand on the boy's cheek, trying to keep his eyes focused, but Edward shook, seeming as though he was locked in a freezer.

"Leave me alone! Please, I'm sorry. I swear I won't do it again." Edward shrieked shoving Roy roughly away from him. He knew that was a mistake. He would be even more upset now, so he quivered back deeper into his corner.

"Edward, can you at least talk to me? Please. I want to know what's going on." Roy raised his hand to fix a strand of hair out of his black eyes, and Edward jerked back into an ever smaller ball.

"Please! Don't hit me!"

"Edward, I... I wasn't going to. I would never lay a hand on you." Roy knew it would eventually come to this. There was no way a boy this young wouldn't be plagued with those harsh memories. "Edward, I swear I won't hurt you."

"I don't want to go back there, I- please I don't want to die. Please." Edward mumbled, tracks of water still running down his face.

"Die? Edward what do you think I'm going to do?"

There was a silence as Edward let his emotions take over. He kept his eyes on Roy, continuously watching for any quick movements, but Roy remained still, keeping his actions slow as his hand returned towards his own.

"You-you're not going to- to hit me?" Edward asked quietly between sobs, feeling Roy's gentle touch on his hand.

"I'd never do something like that. You're going to be okay." Roy said softly, using his thumb to graze along the boy's skin, trying to ease his shaking.

"I-I'm not going- to- to the kitchen?" Edward asked, trying to keep his whimpers to a bear minimum.

"Of course not." Why would he go there? Roy thought. But he had to infer that something had happened in that room that Edward wasn't particularity fond of, and was now causing this terror to wash over the teen.

Edward tried to calm himself down. He wanted to trust Roy, his eyes were calm and his voice was quiet and concerned, something that his father had lacked. But he was still uneasy. He watched as Roy outstretched his arms towards him.

"Come here." He said softly. "I swear I won't hurt you." he waited for Edward's reaction. He was seriously doubting that Edward would approach him, but was astonished when he crawled towards him like a toddler into his arms.

Edward didn't care if he was acting like a baby. For the first time in his life, he felt like an adult actually cared for him. He closed his eyes as Roy gently embraced him around the shoulders, tears still flowing from his golden eyes. Roy rested his cheek on the top of the teen's head, breathing lightly. He needed to wait until Edward calmed down to really start talking with him.

"You're gonna be okay." Roy whispered, noticing the sudden change in the boy's heart rate. It had quickly decreased from its rapid pace and Edward rested his head against Roy's soft blue shirt, feeling almost like a pillow.

Edward nodded slowly, wrapping his hands in some of the fabric. He didn't want Roy to leave now that he was actually receiving comfort. His last real hug had been quite a few months ago with Alphonse, so he was milking it for all it was worth.

"I- I'm sorry." Edward apologized, keeping his eyes closed.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Ed, it wasn't your fault."

Edward knew he was right to some extent. It wasn't like Blake didn't provoke him in any way. If he had left well enough alone, the kid wouldn't have had o suffer from continuous blows to the head. But he couldn't just straight out tell Roy what happened. Who knows what he'd say.

"I- I didn't mean to shove you either." Edward sighed quietly, feeling his tears soak through Roy's shirt. He thought for sure that shove would have guaranteed him a backhand.

"Don't worry about it." Roy said with a smile in his voice.

He wanted Edward to explain what was going on in his life. He knew if he talked about it, that would be a huge load off his chest. Edward didn't seem like the kind of person who would willingly bring up the topic, so Roy started slowly.

"I understand where you're coming from. I was informed about your general situation. I'm not mad at you Edward, I'm just confused about this whole thing and I don't know all that much about you."

"You mean- you knew about what happened?" Edward asked, looking up at Roy, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. Edward paused for a moment. What did he know about? What had happened with Blake that night? Or his father?

"Norton told me once I was considering adopting you. But Edward, you have to understand that I would never do anything to hurt you." Roy said gently. He didn't want the sentence to sound like a threat. "I know you won't be able to trust me right away, but I swear on those words with my life."

His father.

Edward let out a soft sigh of relief as he placed his head back on the comfort of the shirt. There was a silence before he spoke.

"You're probably wondering aren't you?"

"Wondering what?" Roy questioned, although he knew what Edward meant.

"About what happened, about everything. I saw you staring at the marks."

"Edward, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I'm not trying to force anything out of you. You can talk to me whenever you feel comfortable."

Edward smiled lightly. That phrase alone was enough to make him like Roy even more. He could really trust him. He was serious about protecting him and really trying to be his new dad. For his whole life Edward had grown up being forced to tell his every last secret to his father at the hands of his wrath, but now things were changing for the better.

"Can you promise me something?" Edward asked, looking up at Roy, who gave a nod. "Can you not tell any of this to Al?"

The request seemed a little odd, but understandable. Even if the brothers were very close, this was more personal information that was better left unheard. If Edward wanted Alphonse hearing about any of it, it was going to come directly from his older brother, not the guardian.

"I promise." Roy smiled pushing a strand of blond hair from Edward's eyes. "But if you feel uncomfortable about anything, don't feel like you're obligated to tell me anything, okay?" Edward nodded but was at a loss of words.

"I-I don't even know where to start."

"Just start at the beginning. If you feel upset, just take it slow." Roy reassured with a smile. He could already tell that the boy was starting to trust him.

I absolutely LOVE writing Parental Ed and Roy scenes :) *Hence why all of my stories have that  
>hahaha, I know Roy would never see Ed like this, but come on, after everything that's happened, he was bound to break down to him, which I find very cute so I write about it all the time :PThere'll probably be 2 more chapters, then I can move on :P But I hope you enjoyed this one for the time being :)<p>

**FullmetalxWriter's notes ^ ..aww Ed's so pitiful thats terrible.**

**10 more reviews? please? You guys rock! Thanks for not flaming too!**

**Oh and I decided I need to work more on poses etc. before I do the doujinshi (comic) of the sink scene. Because it looks bad right now and I can't keep Edward constant, he keeps changing! :(  
>If anyone's interested in making their own I'd love to see it XD and I'm sure FullmetalxWriter would too.<strong>

**10 reviews! I can't wait for the next chapppterr..**


	26. True Feelings

**Ch 26 Broken Mind**

**OMG its here! I nearly screamed when I saw the next chapter! It's a long chap! Yess!**

True Feelings

Alphonse had come home shortly past six, being greeted by Roy in the kitchen, an intoxicating aroma filling the room as he stepped in from the front door. The young boy greeted him with a smile.

"That smells awesome. Can't wait to try it." he said, spotting a pot of stew on the stove.

Roy had planned on making spaghetti for supper, but after his long, emotional talk with Edward, he had asked him if he wanted anything specific to make him feel better. Stew was his request.

"It's almost done, so could you call Ed for me?" Roy asked, removing the pot from the burner and placing it on the counter, where three white porcelain bowls waited to be filled. Alphonse nodded as he scampered off to his room.

He ran through the door, which had been closed, and spotted Edward still sitting on the floor beside his bed, the lights turned off and the room deathly quiet.

"Is that not uncomfortable?" Al asked, raising an eyebrow as he flicked the switch beside the door. Edward quickly shielded his eyes with his forearms.

"What the hell, Al? Whaddya want?" He spat, trying to cover the cracking in his voice.

"Roy said dinner's ready, so he wants you to-" Al froze, trying to get another glance at his brother's eyes. He had only seen them for a second, but he needed to make sure. "Brother, are you okay?" he asked quietly slowly approaching him.

"I'm fine okay! Would you just leave. I'll be out in a minute."

"You're not okay, you're just saying that." Alphonse pouted kneeling down beside his brother, who remained cross-legged on the floor.

"Just forget about it." Edward spat pushing past his brother and out into the kitchen. The last thing he wanted was for Alphonse to see his weakness and start poking around. He already knew Alphonse had figured out the basics of what happened between him and their father on his own, but he didn't need to know about the details and about how frequent it was. And he definitely didn't need to know about Blake. That was a secret kept between him and Roy.

He still felt a little uncomfortable about seeing Roy after their little talk. Who knows what he'd be thinking. Would he picture him as this disgusting, helpless kid? Ed was hoping he would just shrug it off. Thankfully, Roy greeted him in the kitchen like he always did, and Alphonse followed close behind, his head hanging low.

Ed had to admit, Roy's stew was actually pretty good. Almost as amazing has their mother's, so that did cheer him up a little. What weighed him down were the depressing looks that Alphonse kept giving him every second. It wasn't helping that they sat across from each other, but Roy tried to break the stare with questions about Al's day. He'd answer as always, but then continued his sad looks once he was finished. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Roy, can I ask you something?" Alphonse asked picking up his plate and taking it to the sink. Edward had already excused himself and was back sulking in their room with the door closed again. Roy nodded, clearing the rest of the table.

"Do you know what's wrong with Ed?"

Roy felt his stomach turn. It was only a matter of time before Alphonse noticed the change of behaviour in his brother. He had promised Ed he wouldn't say anything, but on the other hand, the broken look on the boy's face was enough to make him burst into tears.

"Al, I think it would be best to talk to Edward about that. I don't think he would appreciate me saying anything."

"So you do know? What's going on? Did something happen?" the younger brother questioned, almost letting his plate drop to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Al. Edward didn't want me to say anything." Roy sighed, turning the tap on the sink.

"But why? What does he not want me to know?" Alphonse whined. "Does he not trust me? Why doesn't he want me to know?"

"Al, I'm sure trust has nothing to do with it." That might have been a small lie. "Ed's had a rough day. I'm sure he'll talk to you about it eventually. Just give him some time."

"But I want to know now."

"I'm sorry. I made a promise. And I'm sure it will mean a lot more coming from Ed. He knows more details than I do. But all I can say, Al, is don't pressure him into telling you anything, no matter how desperately you want to know."

Alphonse's only response was a sad sigh as he placed his dish in the sink and headed toward his room.

"Just talk to him normally, and try to make him feel better that way." Roy explained, giving Alphonse a calm smile before watching him disappear into the room down the hall.

Ed hadn't even realized it, but he had passed out as soon as his cheek hit the pillow. There was no point in him staying up risking Alphonse prodding at his feelings. He knew once he and Alphonse were alone, his brother wouldn't drop the subject until he got his answers. And once he heard his younger brother enter the room, he was grateful he didn't try to pry him out of bed and talk to him, and waited on his own bed for his older brother to wake up. He never did.

He had no idea how long he had fallen asleep. His eyes were swollen with remaining tears and he could feel a headache forming behind his eyes. The room was pitched black, so he could only assume he had slept through the entire evening, which he didn't mind at all. Roy had probably already left for work for the night, so there was no risk in him coming into the room, but he was baffled at the emptiness of his little brother's bed. He rubbed his eyes before taking a second glance. Maybe it wasn't as late as he thought. Al was probably just out in the living room watching some sitcom, or whatever he found interesting.

With a shrug, he fell back on the mattress, his arm colliding with something hard. He didn't remember falling asleep with his backpack on his bed, then again, he couldn't even remember where he put it anyways. He was in to much of a panic to care. From the form it made on the bed, it was way to big to be his backpack. He raised an eyebrow as the form let out a quiet sob.

"Al? S'at you?" Ed whispered, resting his hand on what he figured was his little brother's shoulder, making contact with the softness of his shirt.

Alphonse gave a small nod, although there was no way to tell he had, considering the darkness of the bedroom. He quietly muffled another small sob, pressing one of the blankets to his lips.

"What are you doing? We share a room, why do you always have to be a half a millimetre away from me?" Edward spat, sitting up on his right elbow, keeping his frustrated eyes on his brother. Alphonse kept his eyes closed tightly. He tried to hide a sniffle, but failed.

"Al? Are you okay?" Edward asked, his voice growing with concern. He sat up, crossing his legs, waiting for Al to join him. But he stayed stiff as a plank.

"Did something happen at school?"

Alphonse shook his head, slowly rising to sit near his brother. His eyes were low, but Edward could still see the glistening remnants of tears on his cheeks, even in the lack of light. He was holding a small stuffed kitten, one Roy had bought for him on their shopping expedition for back to school, its fur drenched by tears.

"Al, what's wrong?" Edward asked again, a broken expression on his face.

"Ed-wha-what happened?" Alphonse stuttered, trying to hide the lump caught in his throat.

"Whaddya mean "what happened"?" Ed questioned, assuming Alphonse had been in some quarrel at school.

"Y-you didn't notice?"

"Notice what?"

"You-you were..." Alphonse clenched his small fists, keeping his eyes closed, allowing tracks of water fall down his cheeks. "screaming."

Edward froze. Had he actually done that while Al was in the room? Had he dreamt about something? He couldn't even remember, but if he did, it was clearly bad enough to make him thrash out in the middle of the night.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or anything..." Edward sighed. What would Al even be able to do in that situation? He must have fallen asleep in his own bed and been petrified when his older brother started into a panic.

"Did I... did I say anything?" Ed asked, wondering if he gave away any personal information. Al's long hesitation was enough to answer his question. "What... did I say?" he asked quietly. He could see his brother's body shaking, his arms tightly bringing his kitten closer to his chest.

"N-nothing really.. you just.. kept telling someone to stop, and apologizing, and... crying out for someone to come help you." Alphonse explained, breaking out in another sob, making the last part of his sentence almost incomprehensible. "I tried, Ed. I tried to make it stop." he choked, burring his eyes into the soft fur of the soaked toy.

Edward waited in silence, his eyes falling from his brother to his own tear stained hands. He hadn't even noticed he had been tearing up. He wanted Alphonse to continue, but what afraid of what would be said.

"I tried to help. I tried." Alphonse sobbed, continuing his words slowly. "I thought maybe- if I was there with you... you'd stop."

There was no doubt that was why Edward had woken up with his brother half an inch from his face. But there was only so much Alphonse would have been able to do.

"Did-did I stop?" Edward asked, keeping his eyes down. Alphonse shook his head violently in response.

"Y-you only stopped when you- woke up." There was a long silence that passed between them, until Alphonse spoke again.

"Ed, what's going on?"

"What do you mean "what's going on?". You probably already know the basics of it."

"There's more to it than that." Alphonse sighed quietly. "I know you're just hiding stuff from me, and I don't know why."

"Al, there's nothing for you to hear. What you know now is all you'll ever need-or want to know." Edward said quietly. All he wanted to do now was curl up, fall asleep and forget he had even woken up.

"Stop telling me what I want!" Alphonse choked. The outburst was more of a yell than he had intended it to be. "I want to know what happened. What I know already is stuff I found out on my own without an explanation. That's not good enough."

"What else do you want me to tell you? You already saw what dad had been doing, so what else is there for you to know?" Edward explained in a quiet tone. He hadn't even realized that silent tears were starting down his cheeks.

"But that-that wasn't everything, was it?" Al questioned, waiting for his brother's reply. He had only seen the scars, cuts and bruises on Edward's back, but he had a hunch that wasn't the only spot that had taken abuse. Edward was silent a moment, reluctant to speak.

"No, it wasn't." He sighed sadly, sliding himself off the bed. He shuffled over to the switch next to the closed door, flicking it on in an instant, illuminating the room. He sat back down on the bed near his brother and let out another sigh.

"Al, are you sure you won't regret this?" he asked, now seeing how tear-filled his little brother's eyes were. He shook his head slowly.

"I don't want to be kept in the dark anymore." He explained with a sad tone. He watched as Edward unzipped his dark sweater, the one he had fallen asleep in, as he slid it off of his arms. Alphonse kept his sobs hidden as he could already see the red markings on his wrists and black bruises on his forearms.

"Al, you're torturing yourself. You don't have to see any of this."

"No, I need to see. I wanna know the truth." he mumbled, his words being muffled by his own hand on his mouth. Edward blinked slowly, as he pulled his remaining t-shirt over his head.

Alphonse froze in an instant, his eyes widened in horror. Edward let out yet another sigh, as he watched his brother's eyes scan his body, though it looked more like a corps to him. It had been several months since the last beating, but the marks were still fresh. Dull shades of blue, black, purple and yellow covered from his chest to his stomach, while faint scares from gashes occupied his upper arms.

Edward tried to shield his tearing eyes from his brother, allowing his bangs to fall in front of his face. But he still couldn't ignore the choked sobs from Al's lips, whimpers and heaving soon following. Ed wasn't even sure he should show him the marks on his legs if he was already in ruins.

"Ed-that-that can't all be from-" Alphonse stopped mid-sentence. He didn't want to believe that the father he had cared about, had caused his brother so much pain. He met Edward's watering eyes as he looked through blond bangs.

"I wish it wasn't." Edward said quietly, lowering his eyes back down the the bed. Alphonse clenched his fists. A slight twinge of anger building up behind his tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I am now. Is that not good enough?" Edward spat in a more harsh tone than he wanted.

"No! It's not good enough! You went through all this time without letting me know what was going on." Alphonse shot, streams of water still running down his face. "Why didn't you let me help you? I could have done something to help!"

"And what would you have done? Tell mom? I bet that would have had a great end." Ed spat rolling his eyes. "Al, listen. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get in the middle of it. It was between me and dad."

"but Ed-"

"I didn't want you to get dragged into it. Who knows what dad would have done if I told anyone, and I... didn't want you to get hurt." Edward trailed off, avoiding eye contact. "I knew if i told you anything, you'd go running off and tell someone to help, just like with the fights at school. I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"So you decided to take all the pain alone? What about the police? You had other options, Ed, so why didn't you tell them!"

The room fell quiet. Edward knew full well why he hadn't told them, and Alphonse was desperate for an answer.

"Everything could have been avoided. It could have stopped. Did you not even want that?"

Edward remained silent. He could feel tears building up in his eyes again.

"Answer me, Ed! Why didn't you tell them?"

"I was scared, okay!" Ed shouted, causing his brother to jerk back from the tone in his voice. His voice cracked and the streams were let loose from eyes golden eyes. "Ya happy now?" he spat, his weeping clearly audible in his voice. "I was terrified, alright! I was too scared to tell them anything."

"Was that it? You were too scared to tell them the truth?"

"Did you honestly just say that? You don't know what it's like, Al!" Edward took a deep breath before continuing. He used it as an opportunity to calm himself down. He needed to stop shouting. It wasn't making the situation any better.

"You don't know what it's like to be afraid to go home, to be terrified of the only place you should feel safe. You don't know what it's like to come home and have your own father beat you and make you think you're worthless." He let out a sob, bringing his palms up to his eyes. "I was scared to let anyone know about that and force me to explain it."

Alphonse never said a word. He listened quietly while his brother explained everything. He wiped his brown eyes with the back of his hand, his heart nearly shattering.

"I'm the older brother, the one who's supposed strong. I didn't want to start crying when I explained anything. But I guess I've already failed at that. I've failed as a brother too. I know you're right. All of this could have been avoided and we could still be living at home with mom, but just because I couldn't-" Edward broke off, sobbing heavily into his palms. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault!"

He jerked slightly when he felt a pair of arms around his shoulders. Lifting his water-logged golden eyes from his hands, he glanced down to see his little brother, his head resting on his arm.

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry." Al cried quietly, keeping his voice low. "I'm sorry. I can never understand what it was like, and I don't blame you for anything, Ed."

Edward slowly turned himself so he was facing his brothers, letting his brother's arms fall from the embrace. He quickly returned it, pulling Al into his arms, pulling him closer, his cheek resting on his chest, hot tears falling on his cold bruises.

"Do you really mean that?" Edward asked quietly, running his hand through Al's soft brown hair.

"I do." Alphonse said, closing his eyes as he listened to the beating of his brother's heart. "Nothing was your fault. I don't blame you for anything." The warmth of his older brother's grasp and soothing repetition of his quiet breathing was enough to make him fall asleep with a quiet sigh.

_Woow I feel like I rushed through this chapter O_O Things happened a little to fast. aaarg! Oh well :P. One more chapter left! Then it will be my first official COMPLETED fanfic! For all those of you who have stuck around for the entire thing... you're awesome! :D  
>yaay for cute EdAl brotherly scenes :D<em>

**O yay! She called me..us.. awesome lol. ONE more chapter! )=) **

**I must say that was EPIC! And I don't think it was rushed at all. Ok people, lets try to get this fantastic story 200 reviews, anyone with me! :D haha so if you're reading this, send FullmetalxWriter some love! Aka Review! **


	27. Repaired

**Ch. 27 of Broken Mind **

**Please read note at end!**

Repaired

Roy had driven the brothers to school for the second day, with Edward dozing off in the back seat more than once. Alphonse sat next to him, his backpack stuffed with books and CD's like usual. The drive was fairly short, but Roy had made plans with Riza to go out for coffee, so the school was right on the way.

Alphonse happily jumped out of the back seat onto the school grounds, being greeted by Dan and Matt at the front doors, being their usual obnoxious selves. Edward however, stayed put.

Roy glanced at the teen from the rear-view mirror, not seeing him have any sign of ambition to get out of the car.

"Ed? You feeling alright?" he asked with no reply. "You know, I can't really take you with me on my date." he grinned, trying to lighten the kid's mood.

"I know." Edward sighed, clearly not seeing the comical side of it. "It's just- I told Al about some stuff that happened, and I really don't know if I should have done that." he explained, sinking lower in the seat.

"Why is that a bad thing? He'll clearly appreciate you telling him something so personal." Roy started, placing, turning his shoulder so he could face the blond teen. "Your relationship would have definitely grown."

"It's not that. I mean, what if he tells someone?" Edward asked, his eyes burning onto Roy's black ones. "It's not the kind of information I want others to hear."

"What makes you think he'll do that?" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Alphonse doesn't seem like that kind of person. You're his brother, you should see that better than anyone."

"Well, maybe I'm just paranoid. I felt like I couldn't keep it from him anymore, so I told him. But... I only told him about our father and kept everything else hidden. He doesn't need to know about that."

"That's understandable." Roy replied, taking a glance out the back window, watching several cliques hurry into the school. His gaze returned to Edward, who still had a puzzled look on his face, and was moving no closer to the door. "There's something else, isn't there?" he asked.

"Well... yeah."

Roy watched as Edward's cheeks turned a bright crimson, his gaze now locked on a young girl by the front entrance.

"I mean, you're kind going out with a girl today- so you're not completely against that kind of thing- or maybe you are- or you just let yourself go out and maybe you wouldn't really let me- well I'm not saying I want to-"

"Ed-" Roy spat, a grin spreading on his lips. "Go for it."

"Y-you mean it?"

Roy smiled, watching the light return to the boy's eyes, a bright smile on his face.

"Of course I mean it. Teenagers do that kind of stuff, right?"

Ed was at a complete loss of words. Von had never let him get involved with any girl or even do anything on his own that he wanted to do. Roy was like the father he had always wanted. Edward never was one to believe in fate, but maybe some things happened for a reason. If you gave up enough, maybe you would get something in return. There's a silver lining for everything, even if you can't see it.

"I don't mind you going out or anything. I was a teenager once, it's your time to learn. But Ed, that doesn't mean I'll let you go out and get plastered every weekend or anything, okay?"

"So you mean, I can hang out with Winry?" he asked with a smile, completely oblivious to what Roy had just said. "I really can?"

"So that's your girlfriend's name?" Roy teased with a grin. He couldn't help but stifle a laugh at Edward's blushing face.

"Well, no, she's not my girlfriend, but I just need to ask." Edward replied, feeling his knees shake. Now that he got confirmation from Roy, he could have an even closer relationship with Winry, and he wanted it to happen soon. He only had one problem. He had no idea how to ask.

"Are you close with her?"

"Well I guess so." Edward sighed, remembering the time he had ran off on her. He still felt terrible about the incident. He had freaked out on her for no reason.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Roy smiled, watching Edward reach for the door handle. For the first time, Edward returned the smile, a light shinning in his eyes.

"Thanks, Roy."

"Not a problem, Ed. Now get outta here." Roy joked, making a shooing motion with his hand. He kept a smile on his face as he watched the teen scramble out of the car, closing the door and scurrying up to the front doors, where the young girl still stood. She greeted him with a friendly hug as Roy drove off to pick up his own blond date.

"Finally. I've been waiting for you all morning." Winry smile, fixing her backpack over her shoulder. "I thought you were going to be late." she lead the way inside, with Edward behind her, his mind racing.

The arrived at their lockers shortly before class started. Edward watched sadly, as Winry disappeared into the female dressing room. How was he supposed to ask her? And where? There was no way he could do it during class. What if she turned him down in front of everybody? There was no chance he would ever live it down.

He made his way slowly into the male change room, not even bothering to greet the few people who actually acknowledged him. Instead, he sat down on one of the many benches along the perimeter of the room, his elbows on his knees and palms to his forehead.

"Big test today Elric?" A voice called to him. His head shot up, spotting a familiar face sitting beside him, his gym bag unzipped at his side.

"No, Ling, I'm just thinking." Edward sighed, letting his eyes drop back down to his palms.

"Looks like you're freaking out about a big project due today that you still haven't even started." The boy named Ling grinned, his long black hair falling over his eyes.

Ling was one of the few people who had even looked at Edward the first day of the semester, and even talked to him. Out of the short conversations they had had during class, they figured out that they actually had quite a lot in common. And Ling was a friendly person in general, which helped.

Edward glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, a puzzled expression. It almost was like a project. One he hadn't even rehearsed or even started writing.

"I know from experience." Ling shrugged, reaching into his bag for his white gym shirt. "I always have that expression when something like that comes up."

"And I'm assuming you've been through that way more than once." Edward grinned, suppressing a small laugh.

"Every year." he grinned back. "And I still haven't learned. Got a Biology project due in another week, and I haven't even thought about it."

"Seems to be really early to be getting projects. It's only the second day of classes." Edward spat, with an expression of disgust.

"It's not a huge project anyways. Just researching stuff and writing a short paper." Ling explained, pulling off his plaid shirt, replacing it with his t-shirt. Ling had always been fairly fit, pretty much like a jock, but nearly as bad as Brandon. Hell, anyone was better than Brandon.

The room fell silent as more and more students left the room, Ling being one of them. Edward still wanted to make sure there weren't very many people so he could change without getting odd glances. Now that he was in grade twelve, who knows what people would think if he kept changing in the bathroom stalls.

He managed to change within a few minutes, and hurried out into the gym, where everyone was already warming up, shooting hoops and running laps. He quickly ran over to Ling and joined him in a small circle of volley ball. He couldn't help but keep glancing off to Winry in the corner with a few other girls that Ed didn't even recognize. He could feel his face turn beet red.

"Ling, you're not with anyone, are you?" Edward asked in a quiet voice. The question wasn't all that unreasonable. Maybe he could get a few, subtle, pointers.

"Well, no. Not at the moment. But I am trying to wheel this one girl." Ling said, glancing over his shoulder to one of the girls Winry had been standing with. "her name's Lanfan. Sounds exotic." he smiled, averting his gaze from the black-haired girl.

"You gonna ask her out soon or something?" Edward asked, returning a throw with a soft volley. He was slowly trying to get hints out of him.

"I'm hoping. We've been hanging out for a while now. Been to a few parties too, and she's pretty cool. I might even ask her today, it's been on my mind for awhile."

"If you were to do it today, when would you ask her?"

"Maybe at the end of the day. I don't really know to be honest."

A loud high-pitched whistle cut through the air, and everyone hurried over towards the teacher. Edward quietly swore to himself, but more at the teacher. He had just ruined a perfect opportunity to get information. The class was split up, half on one side for basketball and the other half for floor hockey. It was just Edward's luck that he would be split up from both Winry and Ling. Damn. Now what was he supposed to do?

The rest of the class was a drag. Not once had he gotten another chance to talk to Ling, even in the dressing room. He was to busy bragging about he had scored the winning basket for his team. That was usually something elementary school kids did.

He sighed when he returned to his locker, throwing his gym bag in the bottom, with not even the slightest intention to take his clothes home and wash them. His mind was elsewhere. Winry showed up by his side within the minute, scaring the wits out of him.

"Winry! I thought you were already gone."

"I take pretty long to change. I was also catching up with the gossip in the change room. I never knew Emm knew so much about everyone." She laughed, reaching for her lock. "If you wanna know something about anyone in any grade, she's the one to go to. I mean, she already knows things about the new grade nines at the school, it's gotta be some kind of talent. Apparently Blake isn't coming back for another year, which I guess was his intention"

"Yeah..." Ed trailed, off, keeping his eyes on her own bright blue ones. Completely oblivious to what she had just said.

"What do you have next period?" she asked, reaching into her backpack for a binder.

"Physics. One of the few classes I still need to try. It doesn't seem all that bad right now."

"You sure like maths and sciences. Pretty much all the subjects other people hate." she laughed, grabbing her pencil case and closing her locker. Edward took a short glance down the hall. They were completely alone. If there was going to be a time. It was now.

"Do you mind if I walk with you to your next class? There's still a bit of time before class starts."

"I-no I don't mind-but- Winry, can I... ask you something?" Edward stuttered, locking his eyes on the ground.

"Sure."

"If you want to- you don't have to if you don't want to- it's just a suggestion- well... not really a suggestion- just a question." he started, scratching the back of his neck. "I was just wondering if- you know- if you wanted to- maybe go- like- hang out sometime or something ."

"You mean like a date?"

"No- I mean- yes- maybe. If that's what you call it. You don't have to- if you have other plans or something- that's fine. It's just- I really want you to be- well- my girlfriend... I mean- friend girl- or-"

Winry put her fist to her lips, stifling a giggle, her smile growing by the second. Her cheeks turning bright pink. Edward remained silent, embarrassed more than ever with the performance he just gave.

"I'd love to." She smiled, her bright eyes looking into Edward's with a feeling of pure joy.

"You- you mean that?" Edward exclaimed, almost dropping his books on the floor.

Winry kept her smile, cupping her hand onto Ed's crimson cheek, pulling their lips into a soft kiss, causing his cheeks to turn even brighter.

"Of course I mean it." He said quietly, when she slowly pulled away. To be honest, I was kinda waiting for you to ask-" she was cut off. Edward's soft hands on her cheeks, pulling her back, lips making contact for a second time. She smelled sweet, a comforting soothing smell. Edward could feel his knees shaking. His mind was swimming through a cloud of fog, still in awe from her response. He had been so happy, he needed to feel her touch again.

It was almost to good to be true. He could stay like this forever and never want her to leave. It was like a dream and he never wanted to wake up, even if it killed him. He had someone else to love and care for and was willing to do anything for her. He could finally start living the life he had always wanted, and start taking those small steps to repair his broken mind.

FIN

IEEE last chapter I'm soo sorry if then ending kinda sucked D: I really didn't know how else to finish it. But the story really didn't have all that much EdxWinry stuff, so i needed to add more for that, but i dd tie up a few loose ends X_X  
>Ling's first appearance! ... at the end D: But I needed someone random<br>You can make up your own ending for him and Lanfan XD  
>hahaha I had to add that it<p>

Thank you for everyone who has stuck around to see the ending Now I can start my new fanfic, which I am very excited to write Stay tuned!

-FullmetalxWriter

**ITS OVER! There's actually a prologue for this but I never added it D: sorry it's on DA. People on deviantART need to be sure to watch FullmetalxWriter and her new story! She told me a bit about it. I most likely won't be able to upload it on ff. Be sure to check my profile for any updates I might have on FullmetalxWriter. Ya'll be happy I uploaded this every chapter, it takes time. You reviewers are great!**

**I've started my doujinshi (comic) for this and I will add an author's note on here whenever I finish it :) **

**:D Review! Let's try to get to 200 reviews at least!**


	28. NOTE!

FullmetalxWriter got an ff account! Go find her and add her! :D For now, Broken Mind is staying here but who knows. Btw my Broken Mind comic is finally coming along :P I abandoned it for a while. I've outlined 4 pages now. It's harder than I thought.

Go love FullmetalxWriter! .net/u/3466153/ :D thanks

(By the way she has 2 different deviantart accounts)


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